Resistance of Buildings to Pyroclastic Flows: Analytical and Experimental Studies and Their Application to Vesuvius

Abstract

Recent studies of the pyroclastic flows associated with major volcanic eruptions have indicated that, though destructive, they may be survivable by some people protected by sufficiently robust buildings. The aim of the work described was to determine the resistance of buildings typical of those potentially in the path of pyroclastic flows from one volcano, Vesuvius, and to compare these with the probable dynamic pressures associated with a particular scenario event. Information about the distribution of buildings and the construction technologies used in the area is presented, and resistances of various elements and complete structures were determined by a mixture of analytical and experimental techniques. The details of the scenario event were derived from a computational fluid dynamics simulation of a pyroclastic flow developed by the Consiglio Nazionale delle Richerche laboratory at Pisa University. It was found that at the distance from the summit of the volcano at which settlement begins, unshuttered and glazed openings would be vulnerable to failure from the dynamic pressure, and casualties would also occur through infiltration of hot gases into buildings and by other mechanisms. In light of these findings, possible mitigation actions are presented and discussed.