Recent efforts in the Post-October 08, 2005, Muzaffarabad Earthquake
Amjad Naseer, Akthar Naeem Khan, Zakir Hussain, Muhammad Ashraf and Khan Shahzada
University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar, Pakistan
October 08, 2005, Muzaffarabad earthquake was one of the worst disasters in the region. More than 400,000 buildings have been partially or completely damaged. Damages in both reinforced concrete (RC) and masonry buildings have been categorized. Lack of seismic detailing; strong beam and weak column; and soft story effect; and poor construction practices are some of the causes of failure of RC buildings. Damages in masonry buildings are attributed to lack of connection between orthogonal walls and, walls and floor; poor quality of mortar; and use of irregular plan.
Different post earthquake research programs started by Department of Civil Engineering, N. W. F. P University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar to better understand the behavior of buildings and devise mitigating strategy, are briefly presented. Single and double story brick masonry typical buildings (confined and un-reinforced) have been modeled and tested on shake table in Earthquake Engineering center. Laboratory tests for various retrofitting techniques, mechanical properties of masonry and other on-going research program are also briefly presented. |
