Structural resistance of reinforced concrete buildings under pyroclastic flows: a study of the Vesuvian area

The analysis of the effects of pyroclastic flows on humans and on buildings represents the main tool to define the boundary of the most hazardous area around an active volcano such as Somma–Vesuvius. Estimation of the lateral pressure on buildings derived from analogies with the damages observed after a nuclear explosion [Valentine (1998) J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 87, 117–140] lead to pressure values and/or structural resistance which are not realistic (too high). Recent evidence [Baxter (2000) Human and Structural Vulnerability Assessment for Emergency Planning in a Future Eruption of Vesuvius. Final Report EC Project ENV4-CT98-0699; Young et al. (1997) EOS, Trans. Am. Geophys. Union, 78, 401] have shown that beyond 2–3 km from the vent, even after a great eruption, resistance to collapse of buildings affected by a pyroclastic flow is still possible. Neri et al. [(2000) Numerical simulation of pyroclastic flows. In: Human and Human and Structural Vulnerability Assessment for Emergency Planning in a Future Eruption of Vesuvius. Final Report EC Project ENV4-CT98-0699], by means of a numerical model of a collapsing column, show that the peak overpressures of the pyroclastic flows range from 1 to 2 kPa at a distance from the vent of about 4–5 km, where important historical centres of the Vesuvian area are located. A detailed analysis of urban settlement of the area [Cherubini et al. (2001) Vulnerabilita’ Sismica dell’Area Vesuviana. Gruppo Nazionale per la Difesa dai Terremoti, CNR, Roma] has shown that most of the people live in reinforced concrete (r.c.) structures, not designed to resist horizontal seismic actions. The present work is aimed at analyzing the collapse limit load of r.c. structures to horizontal pressure for different structural design typologies (strong aseismic, weak aseismic, strong non-aseismic, weak non-aseismic). The simulations performed have also taken into account the specific features of the r.c. structures of the area (local building practice). The limits of resistance for each typology, in case of regular and irregular buildings, are provided. Such limits of resistance are in good agreement with the literature data coming from collapse simulation of buildings under seismic actions.