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2015 - Engineering Bridge Challenge Photograph 10

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of a crowd of students sitting on the bank of the Avon River outside the UCSA building in 2015. The students are gathered to watch the annual Engineering Bridge Challenge event.

Collection Overview: District earthquake hazard assessments for engineerin…

Articles, UC QuakeStudies

Collection Overview of 'District earthquake hazard assessments for engineering lifelines.'

Photograph number UC 11-0083-02

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Staff in the engineering building begin to clean up.

Photograph number UC 10-0498-057

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Exterior of the Engineering library following the September earthquake.

Fire following earthquakes have caused the largest single loss due to earthquakes and in most cases have caused more damage than the quake itself. This problem is regarded very seriously in Japan and in some parts of the United States of America (San Francisco), but is not very seriously considered in other earthquake prone countries, yet the potential for future conflagrations following earthquakes is enormous. Any discussion of post earthquake fire must take into account structural and non-structural damages, initial and spreading fire, wind, water availability, and emergency responses. In this paper we will look at initial fire ignitions, growth and spread and life and property damage. Prevention methods will also be discussed. We will also discuss as examples some case studies: - San Francisco 1989 - Napier 1931 -Christchurch (scenario)

Assessment of CPT-based methods for liquefaction evaluation in a liquefact…

Research papers, University of Canterbury Library

In practice, several competing liquefaction evaluation procedures (LEPs) are used to compute factors of safety against soil liquefaction, often for use within a liquefaction potential index (LPI) framework to assess liquefaction hazard. At present, the influence of the selected LEP on the accuracy of LPI hazard assessment is unknown, and the need for LEP-specific calibrations of the LPI hazard scale has never been thoroughly investigated. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of three CPT-based LEPs from the literature, operating within the LPI framework, for predicting the severity of liquefaction manifestation. Utilising more than 7000 liquefaction case studies from the 2010–2011 Canterbury (NZ) earthquake sequence, this study found that: (a) the relationship between liquefaction manifestation severity and computed LPI values is LEP-specific; (b) using a calibrated, LEP-specific hazard scale, the performance of the LPI models is essentially equivalent; and (c) the existing LPI framework has inherent limitations, resulting in inconsistent severity predictions against field observations for certain soil profiles, regardless of which LEP is used. It is unlikely that revisions of the LEPs will completely resolve these erroneous assessments. Rather, a revised index which more adequately accounts for the mechanics of liquefaction manifestation is needed.

Earthquake response and structural health monitoring of Christchurch Women…

Research papers, University of Canterbury Library

The September 2010 Canterbury and February 2011 Christchurch earthquakes and associated aftershocks have shown that the isolator displacement in Christchurch Women's Hospital (Christchurch City's only base-isolated structure) was significantly less than expected. Occupant accounts of the events have also indicated that the accelerations within the hospital superstructure were larger than would usually be expected within a base-isolated structure and that residual low-level shaking lasts for a longer period of time following the strong-motion of an event than for non-isolated structures.

2015 - Engineering Bridge Challenge Photograph 11

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of a bridge being placed across the Avon River outside the UCSA building in 2015. A number of students will walk across the bridge as part of the annual Civil Engineering Bridge Challenge.

2015 - Engineering Bridge Challenge Photograph 34

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of eight students standing in the Avon River outside the UCSA building, having just fallen through a bridge they had constructed. The photograph was taken in 2015 during the annual Civil Engineering Bridge Challenge event.

2015 - Engineering Bridge Challenge Photograph 33

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of eight students standing in the Avon River outside the UCSA building, having just fallen through a bridge they had constructed. The photograph was taken in 2015 during the annual Civil Engineering Bridge Challenge event.