Tag : evaluate

Mandi (The Hawk): The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi has devised a method to evaluate the earthquake resistance of structures in the Himalayan region. The approach is straightforward and enables decision-makers to prioritise any strengthening and repair work needed to increase the structure's resistance to earthquakes. The Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering has published the study's findings. Sandip Kumar Saha, an assistant professor in the school of civil and environmental engineering at IIT Mandi, is the principal investigator and co-author of the study with Yati Aggarwal. The continuing collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates makes the Himalayas one of the most earthquake-prone places in the world. Periodic earthquakes have caused tremendous damage to these areas in terms of both human life and property loss. More than 1,350 people died and at least 100,000 were injured in the Great Kashmir Earthquake of 2005, which also destroyed tens of thousands of homes and other structures and left millions of people homeless. Although earthquakes cannot be avoided, damage can be reduced by designing structures such as buildings and other infrastructures to resist seismic activity. Assessing the current vulnerabilities and strengths of existing structures is the first step in making sure they are earthquake-safe. Conducting a thorough assessment of each building's seismic susceptibility is neither practical nor affordable. Buildings are frequently subjected to Rapid Visual Screening (RVS) in order to examine building vulnerabilities on a broad scale. To determine whether a structure is safe to occupy or needs immediate engineering work to improve seismic safety, RVS employs visual information. Due to some characterist ...