Probabilistic framework for post-earthquake functionality assessment of seismically isolated hospital buildings using Bayesian networks
Jean-Piers Chavez, Juan Murcia‐Delso, Francisco López Almansa
Abstract
The functionality of hospitals after an earthquake is essential to guarantee an adequate emergency response and thus protect lives. However, determining the loss of functionality after the disaster is a challenge that has not yet been fully resolved, mainly due to the strong interdependencies between damage to building components and equipment. This study proposes a probabilistic framework that employs static Bayesian networks to model these interdependencies and determines the loss of functionality after an earthquake in seismically isolated hospitals. A comprehensive list of fixed and mobile medical equipment is considered in the evaluation, and its damage performance is assessed as a function of floor accelerations and velocities. Critical departments are defined and interdependence matrices are proposed using discrete Bayesian networks. A case study of an eight-story prototype hospital building with base isolation is presented. It is concluded that the building exhibits negligible structural damage for different seismic levels (including the Maximum Considered Earthquake) but damage to infilled walls and velocity-sensitive medical equipment drastically influences the loss of functionality for various seismic scenarios. It is also shown that damage to the elevators can significantly affect the hospital operations. A key advantage of the proposed framework is that it can determine the post-event functionality by knowing the probabilistic damage parameters obtained from the FEMA P-58 damage model. • The functionality of hospitals after earthquakes is frequently interrupted. • A framework for post-event evaluation of hospital functionality is proposed. • Damage interdependence between nonstructural components and equipment is considered. • Bayesian networks are used to model this interdependence. • A case study of an eight-story seismically-isolated hospital is evaluated.