engleski

Technological developments and seismic safety

The construction sector plays a significant role in the alleviation of the effects and consequences caused by earthquakes. From earthquake engineering to engineering seismology, seismic design and seismic vulnerability – that's in the scope of responsibilities of an educated civil engineer. However, the construction sector is the slowest one to appropriate new technologies – and this is something that should be changed. Advanced design methods for the assessment of existing structures are of utmost importance in order to allow efficient, reliable and sustainable use of the built environment. In addition, use of innovative construction materials and hybrid systems has entered a period of renaissance since the development of high-performance products, enabling larger and taller buildings to be built. The knowledge on seismic behaviour of structures has seen great advancements in the last decades, but still, there is much left to be considered. We are still unfamiliar with a number of things that must be taken into account. Are we able to minimize the effects of an earthquake or is optimizing them still the only option? How much do we know about the seismic risk or the potential consequences of seismic activity on our infrastructure? How accurate are we in assessing the seismic vulnerability of existing buildings? What are the benefits of new construction materials in seismically active areas? In this paper possibilities of recent technological developments for better understanding of seismic vulnerability and use of new materials and new methods for an improved construction of new structures will be discussed.

technology, assessment, building stock, seismic behavior, new materials

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