Seismic Fragility Analysis and Retrofit of Conventional Residential Wood-Frame Structures in the Central United States
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 135, Issue 3
Abstract
Site-built wood-frame (light-frame) construction is the most common form of construction for residential structures in the United States. Such structures have suffered significant damage in recent earthquakes, and wood-frame construction practices in the western United States (WUS) have improved considerably in the last . On the other hand, little is understood about the expected performance of wood-frame structures located in the central and eastern United States (CEUS), where the seismicity is moderate compared to the WUS and construction practices seldom provide earthquake resistance. This paper examines the seismic performance of typical one- and two-story wood-frame structures in the CEUS. Six structures with two foundation types were considered, for which conditional limit state probabilities (fragilities) were evaluated considering three possible failure mechanisms: excessive interstory drift, wall uplift, and sill plate splitting. This examination shows that seismic damage to wood-frame structures in the CEUS under earthquakes of moderate intensity is unlikely to lead to loss of life, but may result in significant financial losses. An evaluation of two possible retrofit strategies illustrates how the expected seismic performance of the CEUS structures can be improved by adding more anchor bolts and perimeter sheathing nails to the shear walls.
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Acknowledgments
The research reported herein was conducted under the sponsorship of the Mid-America Earthquake (MAE) Center with additional support from Texas A&M University and Georgia Tech. This support is gratefully acknowledged. The MAE Center is a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center funded at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign by Award No. NSFEEC-9701785. The views expressed herein are those of the writers and may not reflect the views of the sponsors.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 135 • Issue 3 • March 2009
Pages: 262 - 271
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Jan 30, 2008
Accepted: Sep 15, 2008
Published online: Mar 1, 2009
Published in print: Mar 2009
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