Integration of seismically induced site effects to the evaluation of the seismic vulnerability of bridges through a GIS platform

This paper proposes an approach to Integrate seismically induced site effects to the evaluation of the seismic vulnerability of bridges through a GIS platform. The evaluation of the seismic vulnerability of bridges aims to assess the potential damage to structures in order to prioritize the interventions following an earthquake or to plan mitigation strategies. Evaluation procedures are generally index-based, and consider structural vulnerability and seismic hazard, which is usually defined in terms of the probable acceleration that could integrate the amplification effect of seismic waves by the site. A few index-based procedures take into account induced site effects, such as landslides, rock falls or soil liquefaction. Quantification of amplification and induced site effects requires site-specific geotechnical information. However, seismic risk assessment studies are usually performed on a regional scale for a large number of infrastructures scattered on a large territory. The lack of site-specific geotechnical information makes the evaluation of the seismic vulnerability of these infrastructures less representative. This study is based on the development of susceptibility scales to amplification effect, landslides, rock falls and soil liquefaction using geographical information systems (GIS). These susceptibility scales are defined documenting and characterizing the general context of geomorphology, geology and hydrography. The resulting susceptibility maps are then used to integrate susceptibility levels to seismically induced site effects into an index-based procedure for a better evaluation of the seismic risk of bridge networks. Keywords: Amplification, landslide, rock falls, seismic vulnerability, risk assessment, scoring procedure, bridge.