Many studies have demonstrated that the design of structures in a region through the uniform hazard principle does not guarantee a uniform collapse risk. Even in regions with similar Peak Ground Accelerations (PGAs) corresponding to the same mean return period, the seismic risk in terms of collapse probability will be significantly different mainly due to the shape of the hazard curves as well as uncertainties in structural capacities. In this paper, risk-targeted hazard mapping is being explored in peninsular Spain using a recently updated seismic hazard map. Since risk targeting involves multiple input parameters such as the model parameters of fragility curves, their variability was considered through their probability distribution as observed in reinforced concrete (RC) moment frame buildings, representing the most common building typology in Spain. The influence of the variation of these parameters on the risk results were investigated, and different assumptions for estimating the model parameters of fragility curves are illustrated. These assumptions were included in a fixed (generic) fragility curve or building-site-specific fragility curves. Different acceptable damage states (i.e., collapse and yielding) were considered concerning Spain’s seismicity level. Finally, the maps for risk-targeted design ground motions and risk coefficients are presented. It is outlined that the employment of risk-targeted analysis leads to the modifications for existing design ground motions due to the different shape of the hazard curves across Spain and considering the uncertainty of structural capacity. Moreover, it is found that using the building- and site-specific fragility curves could result in a more uniform seismic risk across the country.

Many previous research studies have shown how local and even regional earthquakes can significantly affect the release of radon in the soil. The aim of this work is to investigate the relationship between radon measurements and the daily seismic activity rate and develop a methodology that allows estimating the seismic activity rate using only radon measurements. To carry out this study, the earthquake catalogue of the Vrancea region (Romania) has been used to estimate the daily seismic activity rate during a given time period, in which radon measurements were also recorded, from January 2016 to September 2020. The Vrancea zone represents the most active seismic zone in Europe and is located on the eastern edge of the strongly bent Carpathian arc. In the case of the radon measurements, seasonal behaviours and linear trends due to non-seismic factors have been identified and subsequently removed. The discrete wavelet transform has been used to analyse the radon signal at two different scales: long and short periods. From the analysis carried out on a long-period scale, an approximate linear relationship has been obtained between the radon series and the daily seismic activity rate, which provides insights into the behaviour of the seismic activity in the study region with only the radon information. In addition, the study reveals certain characteristics that could be used as precursors of earthquakes at different scales: weeks in the case of the estimated daily seismic activity rate, and days in the case of the short-period signal obtained by the wavelet analysis. The results obtained for this region allow us to hope that the analysis of the radon time series can become an effective complement to the conventional seismic analysis used in operational earthquake forecasting.

The Internet of things concept empowered by low-cost sensor technologies and headless computers has upscaled the applicability of vibration monitoring systems in recent years. Raspberry Shake devices are among those systems, constituting a crowdsourcing framework and forming a worldwide seismic network of over a thousand nodes. While Raspberry Shake devices have been proven to densify seismograph arrays efficiently, their potential for structural health monitoring (SHM) is still unknown and is open to discovery. This paper presents recent findings from existing buildings located in Bucharest (Romania) equipped with Raspberry Shake 4D (RS4D) devices, whose signal recorded under multiple seismic events has been analyzed using different modal identification algorithms. The obtained results show that RS4D modules can capture the building vibration behavior despite the short-duration and low-amplitude excitation sources. Based on 15 RS4D device readings from five different multistorey buildings, the results do not indicate damage in terms of modal frequency decay. The findings of this research propose a baseline for future seismic events that can track the changes in vibration characteristics as a consequence of future strong earthquakes. In summary, this research presents multi-device, multi-testbed, and multi-algorithm evidence on the feasibility of RS4D modules as SHM instruments, which are yet to be explored in earthquake engineering.

This paper presents a multi-level methodology for near real-time seismic damage assessment of multi-story buildings, tailored to the available level of knowledge and information from sensors. The proposed methodology relates changes in the vibratory characteristics of a building—evaluated via alternative dynamic identification techniques—to the European Macroseismic Scale (EMS-98) damage grades. Three distinct levels of knowledge are considered for the building, with damage classification made through (i) empirical formulation based on quantitative ranges reported in the literature, (ii) analytical formulation exploiting the effective stiffness concept, and (iii) numerical modelling including a simplified equivalent single-degree-of-freedom model or a detailed finite element model of the building. The scope of the study is twofold: to construct a framework for integrating structural health monitoring into seismic damage assessment and to evaluate consistencies/discrepancies among different identification techniques and model-based and model-free approaches. The experimental data from a multi-story building subject to sequential shaking are used to demonstrate the proposed methodology and compare the effectiveness of the different approaches to damage assessment. The results show that accurate damage estimates can be achieved not only using model-driven approaches with enhanced information but also model-free alternatives with scarce information.

For the assessment of seismic effects on RC buildings, the real structural condition has to be modelled as accurately as possible. Medical facilities and hospitals have to resist seismic actions and remain operational after seismic events. For this reason, a detailed seismic vulnerability assessment of a hospital building located in Orihuela, Spain, is presented in this paper using a combination of field monitoring data and numerical analysis. Ambient noise measurements from field monitoring using Raspberry Shake-based sensors are used to capture dynamic characteristics that describe the building behaviour. Data from these sensors were used to update and refine the finite element model of the structure for a detailed analysis of the building’s seismic performance. The different analytical procedures included both elastic and inelastic modelling, as well as static and dynamic assessments, to provide an exhaustive evaluation of the building’s behaviour under seismic loads. In the numerical model, the effect of masonry infill walls is considered, taking into account detailed material properties and structural configurations. Furthermore, the study carefully selects ground motion records representing two limit states—Damage Limitation (DL) and Severe Damage (SD)—to conduct an extensive seismic analysis. In each limit state applied to the structure, there are 14 bidirectional ground motions with components alternately directed along the two principal directions of the building. This analysis evaluated the structural response, focusing on torsional effects, inter-storey drift ratios, and the seismic performance of individual components. The results were compared to other analysis types, considering both overall and localised behaviour, to determine the reliability of different approaches. The findings support the idea that field monitoring data should be combined with advanced modelling techniques to achieve a more accurate evaluation of the building’s seismic vulnerability, considering bidirectional effects.