Seismic Safety Assessment of Existing Low-rise RC Buildings with Rapid Visual Screenings and Preliminary Evaluation Methods

• Main Authors: Moe Myat Myat Aung, Mya Nan Aye
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universitas Gadjah Mada 2021-04-01
• Series: ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development
• Subjects: low-rise building; rapid visual screening; preliminary evaluation; seismic safety assessment
• Online Access: http://ajstd.org/index.php/ajstd/article/view/649
• ISSN: 0217-5460; 2224-9028

Mandalay, the second largest city in Myanmar, is situated near the Sagaing Fault (the major fault in Myanmar). In the Mandalay region, the number of low-rise buildings is much greater than that of high-rise buildings. As such, seismic safety assessments of low-rise buildings play an important role in developing Mandalay as a smart city. In this study, the rapid visual screening (RVS) and preliminary evaluation for 26 numbers of three- to eight-story RC buildings were investigated with three different RVS and preliminary evaluation methods. Based on the RVS methods, the FEMA P154 Level 1 and 2 results gave the highest risk. With the Bangladesh method, the higher the story, the more vulnerable the building. Meanwhile, the Indian method showed a medium risk status. According to the preliminary evaluation, the assessed buildings need a detailed seismic evaluation, except for one building in the Indian method. Similarly, all buildings need a detailed evaluation in the Bangladesh method. The most convenient RVS and preliminary evaluation can be derived from these results for buildings in Mandalay, Myanmar. Moreover, a method can be developed for seismic safety assessments in other ASEAN countries with subsequent research.