A new paper entitled “Toward the definition of a novel response spectrum for the urban environment” has been published by Dr Pierfrancesco Cacciola, Reader, and Dr. Alessandro Tombari, Senior Lecturer, in Elsevier’s International Journal, Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering (IF 2.637), available online now. It presents a new approach to understanding behaviour of buildings in an urban environment using an  elastic response spectrum defined at the free-field.

New approach to understanding behaviour of buildings in an urban environment

While earthquake motion is represented by an elastic response spectrum, the mathematical models currently representing it do not consider the type of terrain category involved, i.e. countryside or urban environment. In this paper, a stochastic approach is utilized to model the elastic response specifically in urban areas and validated through a Monte Carlo study.

The proposed elastic response spectrum was then compared with a conventional one, looking at the effect of the radiated wave from a cluster or buildings. To conclude, this work shows how the classic approach could underestimate or overestimate the seismic response of structures in urban environment, leading to insightful tips for potential modifications to the current seismic procedures.

Well done Alessandro and Pierfrancesco!