Semi-empirical assessment of road vulnerability to seismically induced Slides

Abstract

The present paper aims at the proposition and quantification of a semi-empirical methodology to estimate physical vulnerability of roads subjected to earthquake induced landslide hazards. It is based on a modification of the existing engineering judgmental HAZUS fragility curves using an empirical model that relates the seismic permanent ground displacement (PGD) with the peak ground acceleration (PGA) for the Newmark rigid sliding block case. In this regard, it is possible to account for the specific characteristics of soil and local topography within the estimation of road vulnerability. Various sets of fragility curves can be constructed as a function of peak ground acceleration (PGA), considering the characteristics of the slope (i.e. yield coefficient, ky) and the earthquake magnitude. A preliminary application of the proposed methodology is performed with the aid of GIS tool to the roadway system of city of Grevena in NW Greece for three different earthquake scenarios. It is observed that the level of damage predicted using the aforementioned methodology is less severe compared to the corresponding level of damage anticipated using the HAZUS methodology. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013.