Fuzzy-Based Seismic Risk Prioritization of Steel School Buildings

Abstract

The first and most important step in preparing a seismic retrofit plan for existing buildings is the analysis of seismic risk by conducting studies on retrofitting and preparing qualitative and quantitative reports. The existing buildings in the city of Tehran, Iran, urgently require retrofit studies for a number of reasons including the high seismicity of the region, updating of structural and seismic codes, and so on. In such studies, identifying the conditions of buildings categorized as first priority in the seismic retrofit plan, especially vital places for public use such as schools, is of utmost significance. The present paper proposes a detailed seismic risk prioritization process for steel school buildings using a hierarchical structure through a fuzzy inference system method and applies it to a case study on steel school buildings in Tehran. This study aims at drawing on a seismic risk prioritization method using a fuzzy model based on a solid, efficient, and complete structure for steel school buildings, and its results as a case study indicate the number of Tehran’s school buildings with high seismic risk requiring retrofit studies.