Seismic vulnerability of equipment in critical facilities : Life-safety and operational consequences

ABSTRACT

This study is part of a multi-year program aimed toward reducing earthquake risk for critical facility equipment and components. The program goal is to determine which equipment components are critical to life safety and normal operations, and how equipment systems have perfomed in past earthquakes. This report represents the dirst program phase, in which equipment data were collected and reviewed in the context of four sample facility types and six equipment systems. Subsequent program phases will (i) develop a simplified method to assess and improve the reliability of equipment systems, (ii) apply the methodology to example building and component inventories, and (iii) disseminate component fragility and system reliability models in a format that can be used by codewriting bodies, emergency-response facility owners, and operators of economically valuable facilities.(AU)