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Performance of Residential Buildings during the M 7.8 Gorkha (Nepal) Earthquake of 25 April 2015


Affiliations
1 Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, India
 

The M 7.8 earthquake of 25 April 2015 was a significant event in the long seismic history of the Eastern Himalayas, which caused more than 8000 casualties; widespread destruction of residential, commercial and cultural heritage structures, surface fissures and landslides in the western and central regions of Nepal. It was followed by a strong aftershock of M 7.3 after 17 days of the main event which caused further damage. These events provided a unique opportunity to study the vulnerability of the built environment and reassess the risk exposure of the region which is undergoing rapid urbanization without adequate preparedness for seismic safety. A field trip was undertaken covering the affected regions of Nepal and adjoining Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. This article discusses the general observations in the earthquake affected regions, with special emphasis on the seismic performance of residential structures in the Kathmandu valley region.

Keywords

Earthquake Effects, Reinforced Concrete Frame, Seismic Vulnerability, Unreinforced Masonry.
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  • Performance of Residential Buildings during the M 7.8 Gorkha (Nepal) Earthquake of 25 April 2015

Abstract Views: 281  |  PDF Views: 174

Authors

Durgesh C. Rai
Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, India
Vaibhav Singhal
Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, India
S. Bhushan Raj
Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, India
S. Lalit Sagar
Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, India

Abstract


The M 7.8 earthquake of 25 April 2015 was a significant event in the long seismic history of the Eastern Himalayas, which caused more than 8000 casualties; widespread destruction of residential, commercial and cultural heritage structures, surface fissures and landslides in the western and central regions of Nepal. It was followed by a strong aftershock of M 7.3 after 17 days of the main event which caused further damage. These events provided a unique opportunity to study the vulnerability of the built environment and reassess the risk exposure of the region which is undergoing rapid urbanization without adequate preparedness for seismic safety. A field trip was undertaken covering the affected regions of Nepal and adjoining Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. This article discusses the general observations in the earthquake affected regions, with special emphasis on the seismic performance of residential structures in the Kathmandu valley region.

Keywords


Earthquake Effects, Reinforced Concrete Frame, Seismic Vulnerability, Unreinforced Masonry.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv109%2Fi11%2F2126-2136