Metodología para evaluación rápida de susceptibilidad de pérdida de función por sismos en infraestructura hospitalaria
- Autores: Carmen Alicia Rivera Rogel
- Directores de la Tesis: Albert Albareda Valls (dir. tes.)
- Lectura: En la Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) ( España ) en 2020
- Idioma: español
- Materias:
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- Resumen
Hospitals are a fundamental part of a country's health system and are considered essential facilities for dealing with natural disasters. Nevertheless, hospitals may be highly vulnerable structures. Loss of functionality, even for a short period of time, may be critical for people inside the hospital, as well as for those who may need urgent medical attention following a natural disaster. Despite the importance of these buildings, many hospitals have resulted severely damaged, and some have lost functionality after moderate earthquakes. Recent seismic events, such as the 2016 Ecuador Mw 7.8 earthquake, highlighted the role of nonstructural components and systems after a seismic event. The damage observed showed that the loss of functionality of most hospital buildings was mostly related to damage of ceilings, partitions, water supply systems, and overturning of mechanical and medical equipment, among others. However, only a few studies have addressed the consequences of nonstructural damage in the functionality loss of health facilities.
In this study, a methodology for rapid visual assessment of susceptibility of functional loss due to earthquakes in health infrastructure by using an automated tool is presented. In particular, the tool allows estimating the operational vulnerability of the infrastructure following strong ground motions. The nonstructural elements are classified according to FEMA and World Health Organization procedures as architectural components (exterior and interior), building utility systems (equipment and distributed systems of critical support services), medical equipment (medical services and medical gases), and contents (cabinets, furniture, fixtures, and similar). Potential physical losses caused by story drifts and floor accelerations are considered. The prediction of damage is determined by using fragility curves taken mainly from the FEMA P-58 database, HAZUS, test reports and analytical methods. The tool is calibrated using damage observed during recent earthquakes affecting 17 case studies. The seismic actions that generated these damages are estimated from accelerograms recorded by the closest seismological stations. The calibration is based on comparing the observed damage with the predicted one, obtained from combining the fragility curves with the estimated actual seismic demands.
This automated tool for rapid assessment of susceptibility of functional loss due to earthquakes is expected to contribute to a better understanding of the seismic performance of nonstructural components and systems in health infrastructure. This work will be useful for hospital managers and staff, as well as decision-makers in the health ministries of a country, in order to anticipate the functional loss expected in health infrastructure or in a health care network within an administrative area local, or at regional or country-level. Consequently, the presented tool can be used to determine the actions and measures that are required in order to improve safety and achieve continuous operation of health facilities during and after seismic events.
