Post-earthquake loss assessment based on structural component damage inspection for residential RC buildings

There is substantial evidence showing that the seismic performance of many existing buildings may be inadequate to resist another strong earthquake. The losses from a devastating earthquake are always huge. In order to prevent damage extension and to restore the damaged community as quickly as possible, immediate post-earthquake damage assessment is always conducted through site inspection on structural components within a restricted short period of time to screen buildings that are damaged to certain levels or in danger of collapse. Without detail financial loss estimation, engineers have to face the challenge to decide whether a badly damaged building is worth retrofitting for sustainability, or needs to link inspected component damage level, building damage state and direct financial loss in terms of repair to replacement cost ratio. Damage of structural components are quantified by a set of damage factors and finally integrated as a building damage indicator. Building repair to replacement cost ratio and storey repair to replacement cost ratio corresponding to various damage levels of RC residential buildings have been estimated. With these statistical data, relationships of building damage indicator to repair to replacement cost ratio has been built from regression analysis. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.