Tag: αντισεισμική μηχανική
The California-Made Earthquake Alarm That Works But California Won’t Build
For all of the devastation caused by the 2011 earthquake/tsunami in Japan, the former, a 9.0 magnitude beast called “Tohoku,” could have claimed far more lives. The reason it didn’t? Since 2007, Japan has had an early warning system — conceived 10 years ago at Caltech — which California still hasn’t managed to set up. And while it only gives about a minute notice, it’s a minute Californians currently don’t have.
Until 2003, when Japanese seismologist Hiroo Kanamori and UC Berkeley’s Richard Allen published a study proving that early detection was possible, warning systems for earthquakes have relied on a concept that’s been around since the 19th century: detect the ground shaking at the fault line and send advanced notice to cities miles away through telegraphs, telephones, or modern telecommunications (depending on which century you’re in).
This system relies on the fact that electronic signals move much faster than seismic waves; For example, if you were in New York and on Twitter on August 23, 2011, you might have seen tweets from Washington DC about their earthquake just before the ground started shaking under your feet. As neat as that might have been (yay, new media!) retweeting is not a very good system for warning a city of impending seismic doom.
The new system put into place in Japan in 2007 detects earthquakes before they start shaking the Earth’s surface. Allen and Kanamori found that when tectonic plates shift, they release two forms of energy simultaneously, called p-waves and s-waves. S-waves cause all the damage on the surface. P-waves are harmless, but travel through the ground about twice as fast. So when Japan’s more than 1000 seismometers near their Pacific fault-line relayed p-wave data indicating a massive earthquake, the Japanese Meteorological Agency rang the alarm.
While this “early detection” still only gives about 60 seconds of warning, Japan was able to safely stop 11 500km/h bullet trains, disable 16,000 lifts, warn students to get under their desks and set off earthquake alarms across the country. Some 52 million Japanese received text alerts on their mobile phones. But that’s because Japan has the advanced warning system and a cultural awareness of the threat of earthquakes (for example, new iPhones bought in Japan come with quake-warning features built in).
California, on the other hand? Azeen Ghorayshi, in a great feature for the East Bay Express about Japan and California’s preparedness, says that California still has “next to nothing in terms of a public seismic warning system,” despite knowing how to build one for almost a decade and despite knowing the next “big one” is only matter of time. But building a statewide system is only a matter of politics and money, so it’ll probably be ready in no time. Meanwhile, here’s a $1 iPhone Seismometer app that you can make into your own DIY not-so-advanced warning system. [East Bay Express]
Fukushima Earthquake (11/3/2011) documentary
Ντοκιμαντέρ του ΣΚΑΪ καταγράφει μέσα από συγκλονιστικές εικόνες τον σεισμό των 9 Ρίχτερ, το τσουνάμι και την πυρηνική καταστροφή στην Φουκουσίμα της Ιαπωνίας. Αυτόπτες μάρτυρες αλλά και επιστήμονες που βίωσαν και μελετούν αντίστοιχα αυτό το σεισμό και τις συνέπειες που προκλήθηκαν στην Ιαπωνία μιλούν στην κάμερα. Τα 9 Ρίχτερ που χτύπησαν την Ιαπωνία την Παρασκευή 11 Μαρτίου 2011 αποτέλεσαν τον πέμπτο μεγαλύτερο σεισμό που έχει καταγραφεί στον κόσμο από το 1900. Το τσουνάμι που ακολούθησε έφερε και τις εφιαλτικές συνέπειες των 10.000 και πλέον νεκρών αλλά και χιλιάδων αγνοουμένων. Ολόκληρες πόλεις χάθηκαν και τίποτα δεν είναι πια ίδιο για τους Ιάπωνες αλλά και ολόκληρο τον κόσμο μετά την καταστροφή που υπέστη το πυρηνικό εργοστάσιο της Φουκουσίμα
International Conf. on Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering: From Case History to Practice • In honour of Prof. Kenji Ishihara
The ISSMGE Technical Committee (TC 203) on “Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering and Associated Problems” organizes the International Conference on Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering From Case History to Practice in honor of Prof. Kenji Ishihara to be organized in Istanbul, Turkey during 17-19 June, 2013. Scope and topics include:
• Case histories on ground motion and site effects
• Soil investigation with field and laboratory testing
• Dynamic Characterisation and modelling
• Performance based design methodologies; Soil-structure interaction
• Physical modelling by shaking table and centrifuge tests
• Liquefaction; Lateral spreading
• Slope stability; Embankments, landfills and dams
• Shallow foundations; Pile foundations
• Retaining wall; Reinforced earth; Underground structures
More info: http://www.icege2013.org/
Earthquake Engineering Special Session organized with the framework of Fourteenth International Conference on Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering Computing
An “Earthquake Engineering” Special Session is organized within the framework of Fourteenth International Conference on Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering Computing, to be held in Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy between 3-6 September 2013. It is organized by Anastasios Sextos, Assistant Professor at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
The Special Session focuses on recent advances in Computational Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics. More specifically, it will encourage contributions related to the mitigation of seismic risk, the design and assessment of
earthquake resistant buildings and bridges, the assessment of
special and monumental structures, system identification and structural health
monitoring, performance-based engineering, seismic
isolation and control of structures, dynamic soil-structure
interaction, strong ground motion selection and scaling as well as
seismic wave propagation through the soil media. Papers related to new
software applications, web-based engineering tools, frameworks for
hybrid simulation and distributed computing, knowledge-based & expert
systems, finite
element programs, numerical analysis pre- and post- processing
front-ends, data and metadata dissemination and management
systems, high performance, parallel and cloud computing schemes,
applications for mobile devices and tablets as well as GIS-based
visualization tools are also welcome.
It is envisioned that the Special Session will constitute an interesting forum for scientists using state-of-the-art computational methods and tools for Earthquake Engineering purposes.
Please note that the call for papers closes on the 5th December 2012 and abstracts may be submitted via the conference website: http://www.civil-comp.com/conf/
To encourage young researchers to attend the conference a 1000 Euro Young Researcher Best Paper Prize will be awarded to the best paper presented at each of the conferences. (For further details please see the conference website).
O’Rourke speaks about earthquake effects
Watch Live on March 7 or Watch Video on YouTube
PEER and the EERI Northern California Chapter jointly hosted the EERI distinguished lecture “The New Normal for Natural Disasters” by Professor Tom O’Rourke from Cornell University on December 6, 2012 at UC Berkeley. This lecture discussed the effects of the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami, Canterbury Earthquake Sequence, and Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy with respect to their impact on regional and international economics, national practices for security and recovery, and worldwide energy policy. The recording is now posted at PEER’s YouTube channel with the intermittent audio static from the live webcast removed.
For those who would rather watch a live presentation, check out the opportunity towatch Professor O’Rourke live at Stanford University on March 7th as a part of the Shah Family Fund Distinguished Lecture Series.
Title: Earthquake Effects on Critical Infrastructure
Speaker: Tom O’Rourke, Thomas R. Briggs Professor of Engineering, Cornell University
Date: March 7, 2013
Time: 4:30pm (Reception at 4:00pm)
Location: Stanford University, Li Ka Shing Conference Center, LKS240/250 Directions
More information about this event can be found at the Blume Center’s website.
Abstract: The effects of the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami and Canterbury Earthquake Sequence are discussed with respect to their impact on regional and international economics, national practices for security and recovery, and worldwide energy policy. The lecture explains why these events require a fundamental re-thinking of the way we evaluate the risks of extreme events, as well as define and protect critical infrastructure. The impact of the Canterbury Earthquake Sequence on the underground infrastructure in Christchurch is explored with the use of an extraordinary GIS data set covering the effects of both liquefaction-induced permanent ground deformation and transient ground motion for 3 different earthquakes. Lessons learned from Christchurch for Wellington, NZ and San Francisco, CA are discussed. To address the need for protection against rare, high consequence events with limited financial resources, a strategy for improving infrastructure resilience is proposed.
Tenth U.S. National Conference on Earthquake Engineering
10th National Conference on Earthquake Engineering
Frontiers of Earthquake Engineering
July 21-25, 2014
Anchorage, Alaska
Purpose
The Tenth U.S. National Conference on Earthquake Engineering, on the 50th Anniversary of theGreat Alaska Earthquake and Tsunami, will provide an opportunity for researchers and practitioners to share the latest knowledge and techniques to mitigate the damaging effects of earthquakes and tsunamis. This conference is being planned by the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) in collaboration with the George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES). The conference will provide a unique environment to facilitate synergy between professionals and student researchers from the U.S. and around the world. This conference brings together professionals from a broad range of disciplines, including architecture, structural engineering, seismology, geology, geophysics, geotechnical engineering, business, public policy, social sciences, regional planning, emergency response planning, and regulation.
Call for Papers
Authors must submit abstracts and papers online. The deadline for submission of abstracts is March 31, 2013. The abstract collection system will open January 7, 2013. Additional detailed instructions are available at the conference website http://www.10ncee.org.
Special Sessions
The conference will include a small number of Special Sessions. Those interested in organizing and chairing a Special Session should contact either of the Technical Program committee co-chairs, Scott Ashford (Scott.Ashford@oregonstate.edu) or Greg Deierlein (ggd@stanford.edu), by February 15, 2013.
More Information
For more information view the 1st Announcement and Call for Papers at http://10ncee.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/10NCEE_Call-for-Papers.pdf or visit the conference website at http://www.10ncee.org.
Earthquake Damage Database
The Earthquake Damage Database has been launched, featuring a visual and fully searchable catalogue of structural damage due to earthquake loading in Greece. The database contains more than 300 photos with seismic-related metadata, georeference (where availlable) and commentary and aims to act as a visual educational tool for undergraduate and young Civil Engineers. Currently it is available only in Greek.
Official Website: http://asptetk.civil.auth.gr/Pages/Home.aspx
For further info or in case you are interested to submit your earthquake damage-related photos please contact: asextos@civil.auth.gr
Minisymposium in ““Software Development in the Field of Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics”
SUB
A minisymposium is organised in the framework of the 4th
International Conference on Computational Dynamics and
Earthquake Engineering – COMPDYN 2013
(www.compdyn2013.org)
:
“Software Development in the Field of Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics”.
Organizer: Anastasios Sextos (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece)
e-mail: asextos@civil.auth.gr
description: The mini-symposium
will focus on recent advances in software development for
Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics purposes. More specifically, it will encourage contributions that
will demonstrate new
software applications, web-based engineering tools, frameworks for
hybrid simulation and distributed computing, knowledge-based & expert
systems, finite
element programs, numerical analysis pre- and post- processing
front-ends, data and metadata dissemination and management
systems, high performance, parallel and cloud computing schemes,
applications for mobile devices and tablets as well as GIS-based
visualization tools. Emphasis will be primarily (but not
exclusively) given to the application of the above software
systems towards the
mitigation of seismic risk, the design and assessment of
earthquake resistant buildings and bridges, the assessment of
special and monumental structures, system identification and structural health
monitoring, performance-based engineering, seismic
isolation and control of structures, dynamic soil-structure
interaction, strong ground motion selection and scaling as well as
seismic wave propagation through the soil media. It is envisioned that the Symposium will constitute a forum
on the recently developed earthquake-engineering-related software
that will facilitate the dissemination of knowledge and promote the
interaction and cooperation between the developers and the
end-users.
A complete list of other interesting Minisymposia can be found here
IN ORDER TO SUBMIT YOUR ABSTRACT PLEASE USE MINI-SYMPOSIUM CODE: MS-25-CZ
Seventh National Seismic Conference on Bridges & Highways (7NSC) “Bridge Resilience for Earthquakes and Other Natural Hazards”
Oakland,
California has been selected as the site of the Seventh National
Seismic Conference on Bridges & Highways (7NSC). The event will be
held May 20-22, 2013 at the Oakland Marriott City Center. The conference
theme is “Bridge Resilience for Earthquakes and Other Natural Hazards,”
indicating a broad scope. There will be presentations and discussions
of multiple hazards that may affect the performance of highway
infrastructure. California was chosen by the Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA) to host this conference based on the state’s past
experience with earthquakes and the Department of Transportation’s
(Caltrans) leadership in the field. D2BS98J4TVJZ
California has been selected as the site of the Seventh National
Seismic Conference on Bridges & Highways (7NSC). The event will be
held May 20-22, 2013 at the Oakland Marriott City Center. The conference
theme is “Bridge Resilience for Earthquakes and Other Natural Hazards,”
indicating a broad scope. There will be presentations and discussions
of multiple hazards that may affect the performance of highway
infrastructure. California was chosen by the Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA) to host this conference based on the state’s past
experience with earthquakes and the Department of Transportation’s
(Caltrans) leadership in the field. D2BS98J4TVJZ
Co-organizers
of the conference are USDOT Federal Highway Administration,
Transportation Research Board, American Association of State Highway and
Transportation Officials’ Subcommittee on Bridges and Structures
(AASHTO), and earthquake research centers PEER-UC Berkeley, and MCEER,
University at Buffalo.
of the conference are USDOT Federal Highway Administration,
Transportation Research Board, American Association of State Highway and
Transportation Officials’ Subcommittee on Bridges and Structures
(AASHTO), and earthquake research centers PEER-UC Berkeley, and MCEER,
University at Buffalo.
The
2013 conference builds upon previous successful meetings that have been
held in San Diego, Sacramento, Portland, Memphis, San Mateo, and
Charleston, SC. Based on past trends, attendance is expected to exceed
400 and will include representatives from private engineering practice,
government, construction, academia, and industry. This conference is a
premier gathering of transportation officials responsible for addressing
and mitigating the impact of all hazards on our highway infrastructure.
2013 conference builds upon previous successful meetings that have been
held in San Diego, Sacramento, Portland, Memphis, San Mateo, and
Charleston, SC. Based on past trends, attendance is expected to exceed
400 and will include representatives from private engineering practice,
government, construction, academia, and industry. This conference is a
premier gathering of transportation officials responsible for addressing
and mitigating the impact of all hazards on our highway infrastructure.
On
Sunday May 19, 2013, an optional pre-conference technical workshop will
be held. The main program will be held over the next 2½ days with over
75 oral and poster presentations, discussion panels, and a student
design competition. Several internationally renowned keynote speakers
are being invited to share information about some of the major
earthquakes that have occurred in other parts of the world in recent
years. In addition, a special session is planned that will highlight the
design and construction of the soon to be complete San Francisco –
Oakland Bay Bridge, with emphasis on the unique self-anchored suspension
span. An optional technical tour will also be provided.
Sunday May 19, 2013, an optional pre-conference technical workshop will
be held. The main program will be held over the next 2½ days with over
75 oral and poster presentations, discussion panels, and a student
design competition. Several internationally renowned keynote speakers
are being invited to share information about some of the major
earthquakes that have occurred in other parts of the world in recent
years. In addition, a special session is planned that will highlight the
design and construction of the soon to be complete San Francisco –
Oakland Bay Bridge, with emphasis on the unique self-anchored suspension
span. An optional technical tour will also be provided.
In
the days prior to the 7NSC, FHWA is planning to hold the First
International Bridge Seismic Workshop, also in Oakland. Dr. W. Phillip
Yen, FHWA Principal Bridge Engineer – Structural Dynamics, is Chairman
of the 7NSC and the International Workshop.
the days prior to the 7NSC, FHWA is planning to hold the First
International Bridge Seismic Workshop, also in Oakland. Dr. W. Phillip
Yen, FHWA Principal Bridge Engineer – Structural Dynamics, is Chairman
of the 7NSC and the International Workshop.
For more information, visit the conference web site.
