Seismic Hazard Analysis of Lifelines

Methods for assessing the seismic safety of a lifeline system are developed; with part of the study being devoted to the development of a relation between the earthquake intensity and the distance for near-source regions. The attenuation of maximum ground motion intensity with distance is examined. Specific attenuation relations are developed and compared with the existing empirical attenuation equations. On this basis, the importance of the source parameters are examined. With regard to the safety analysis of lifeline systems, it is assumed that earthquakes originate as ruptures along geologic faults. Two types of hazards from earthquakes are considered; namely, the hazard of a fault rupture strike on the links of a lifeline system, and the hazard of damage caused by severe ground shaking. The application of the methods presented herein are demonstrated for a specific lifeline system.