Are seismic losses affected by the angle of seismic incidence

The proposed study examines the propagation of uncertainty associated with the angle of seismic incidence of a group of ground motions, as well as to that of the ground motion group size, to the expected seismic loss estimates of reinforced concrete buildings. Six buildings with infilled frame systems are studied, representative of non-seismically designed structures typical of southern European practice. Their monetary losses are computed using a performance-based earthquake engineering framework, which integrates the site-specific seismic hazard, structural response, damage to building components and contents, and the resulting costs (repair, demolition, reconstruction). To estimate monetary losses, an inventory of the structural and non-structural elements is compiled and existing damage and cost data/functions are employed. Seismic loss estimates account for both the probability of collapse and the probability of demolition as a result of excessive residual storey drifts. Multiple stripe analysis is performed for this purpose using numerical models capable of simulating the relevant limit states up to collapse. Results are presented in terms of expected losses conditional on the ground motion intensity and expected annual losses, which are determined by integrating the former with the seismic hazard curve of the site. Results show that the comparative effect of the ground motion group size in the expected annual losses is much more important when compared to that of the angle of seismic incidence, whose influence is shown to be less significant and mostly concentrated on the variability of the results.