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.

Real-time Hybrid Simulations of a Large-scale Steel Structure with Nonlinear Viscous Dampers

The NEESR project entitled NEESR-CR: Performance-Based Design for Cost-Effective Seismic Hazard Mitigation in New Buildings Using Supplemental Passive Damper Systems (PI: Richard Sause) is currently conducting a series of large-scale real-time hybrid simulations (RTHS) on a 3-story steel frame building at the Real-time Multi-directional (RTMD) Earthquake Simulation Facility, the Lehigh NEES Equipment Site. The goal for this NEESR project is to develop a validated, probabilistic, performance-based seismic design procedure for buildings with passive damping systems.The RTHS data will be used to observe and understand the interactions of the viscous dampers with the braces, beams, and columns of the experimental substructure as well as the interactions between the steel frame with the dampers and the rest of the building. The project team has developed detailed analytical (numerical simulation) models of the prototype building with nonlinear viscous dampers, and the RTHS data will be used to validate the models. RTHS will take place February 21 – 22, 2013 between 1 and 4 pm EST. The RTHS test matrix includes conducting a series of simulations using an ensemble of 13 earthquake records at the design basis earthquake (DBE) level. The RTHS can be viewed by telepresence, where webcams and the Real-Time Data Viewer can be used to view video, data and animation of the response of the building acquired from the RTHS. To learn more or to remotely participate, go to the following link (http://www.nees.lehigh.edu/rths-of-mrf-dbf-system-with-viscous-dampers). Result (including video) from completed tests will also be archived and available at the previous link and through the Project Warehouse on NEES.org.  Also, follow us on Facebook to get up to the minute simulation updates from our research team.

The project is a collaborative effort that includes California State University, Northridge; California State Polytechnic University, Pomoma; Lehigh University; The Pennsylvania State University, Erie; and Tokyo Institute of Technology.   Industry partners include Corry Rubber Company, Taylor Devices, Miyamoto International, Inc. and Simpson Gumpertz & Heger. More information about the above NEESR project can be found here. You are encouraged to visit the RTMD website to learn about the capabilities of the Lehigh NEES Equipment Site and completed and ongoing research projects.  Data can be accessed at NEEShub for the completed projects.