Methodology for earthquake-induced loss estimation: An application to woodframe buildings

A probabilistic framework to estimate long-term earthquake-induced economical loss for woodframe structures was proposed and demonstrated in this paper. The concept of a damage fragility system which can be used to quantitatively model the uncertainty in the response-damage-loss relationship was developed and applied to woodframe residential building components. Bayesian models were used in the framework in order to incorporate subjective engineering experiences and test data. A simulation procedure was used to implement the loss estimation framework and was investigated with several numerical examples. Specifically, the analyses of two typical woodframe residential structures were examined in order to illustrate the concepts and methods. Such a procedure has not yet been developed for woodframe structures within performance-based seismic design (PBSD) procedures that are under development, thus incorporating economic losses within the PBSD of wood structures is novel. The methods and concepts explained in this paper could provide a viable path towards the design, optimization, and assessment related to long-term earthquake-induced loss for existing woodframe structures and new designs.