Earthquake Reliability of Lifeline Networks

Authors : Ayşe Sevtap SELÇUK

Pages : 143-160

View : 10 | Download : 8

Publication Date : 0000-00-00

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Lifelines such as pipelines, transportation, communication and power transmission systems are networks which extend spatially over large geographical regions. The quantification of the reliability insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(survival probability); of a lifeline under seismic threat requires attention, since the proper functioning of these systems during or after a destructive earthquake is vital. In this study, a comprehensive probabilistic model for the assessment of the reliability of lifelines under earthquake loads is developed. Network reliability analysis mainly deals with the evaluation of the performance of a network in terms of its ability to withstand the failure of its components. A lifeline is idealized as an equivalent network with the capacity of its elements being random and spatially correlated. The seismic hazard that the network is exposed to is described by a probability distribution derived from past earthquake data. The seismic hazard analysis is based on the ``classical`` seismic hazard analysis model insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(Cornell, 1968); with some modifications. For the evaluation of the network reliability, an efficient algorithm developed by Yoo and Deo insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(1988); is utilized. This algorithm eliminates the CPU time and memory capacity problems that are encountered in large networks. A software package, called LIFEPACK, is coded to carry out the numerical computations. Two detailed case studies are presented to show the implementation of the proposed method.
Keywords : Network reliability, lifelines, earthquake, seismic hazard analysis, spatial correlation