TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF THE PHILIPPINES – MANILA

1338 Arlegui St. Quiapo,  Manila

College of Engineering and Architecture

Department of Civil Engineering

A Capstone Design (CE 435 – CE Design Project 1)

Presented to the Faculty of Civil Engineering

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the

Degree of Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering

Rapid Visual Assessment and Developing Seismic Fragility Curves of Tibagan

Christine Angela A. Agoncillo

Vernielyn M. Campano

Johannes Ignac E. Tubil

Rovic C. Viloria

October 2022
 CHAPTER 1

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

There are multiple volcanoes in the ring of fire, and the Pacific region experiences tectonic

activity. Tectonic plate motions within the ring of fire, which includes the Philippines, are the

primary cause of earthquakes there (Clemente et al., 2020). The "Big One," also known as an

earthquake with a magnitude of about 7.2, is predicted to strike the Philippines, according to

reports by the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Institute of Volcanology and

Seismology (DOST-Phivolcs). This earthquake may impact several homes, commercial

buildings, and national roads within the boundaries of the west valley fault line.

Natural catastrophes like earthquakes frequently occur in the Philippines (Prasetyo, Y. T.,

2020). The Marikina/Valley Fault, the Central Philippine Fault, the South of Mindanao Fault,

and the Western Philippine Fault ring the area. According to the Philippine Institute of

Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), which has documented an average of 20

earthquakes per day, approximately 100-150 earthquakes are felt annually. Due to its

geographical location, the Philippines are susceptible to several threats, such as regular

typhoons, earthquakes, and 53 active volcanoes, whose eruptions rank among the deadliest and

most expensive anywhere in the world (Doroteo, 2015). Seismic Vulnerability Assessment can

reduce the risk of an earthquake where the hazards caused by an earthquake prompt the

management of risk reduction schemes (Baylon et al., 2021).

countries caused significant structural damage, with school buildings suffering the most harm

and being rated as having the weakest performance in contrast to other infrastructures. As of

2013 mapping, the West Valley Fault is 25 meters distant from the Tibagan High School in East

Rembo, Makati City based on the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology

(PHIVOLCS) fault finder. It is susceptible to damages of this magnitude.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Earthquakes are among the most unpredictable and destructive natural disasters, that can

strike at any time and in any location. Most structures are affected as a result of shoddy

construction, which causes damage based on the strength and intensity of the earthquake and, if

ignored, can endanger the structure. When an earthquake hits a structure, inertia forces are

generated that can be extremely damaging, causing deformations and horizontal and vertical

shaking. That is why, the structure that is located in the areas affected by the earthquake must be

evaluated in order to maintain its strength and avoid failures and collapses.

The Tibagan High School is located in Makati City and according to PHILVOCS

faultfinder, it is 25 meters from the West Valley Fault system (Fig 1.1). From the News5, a

magnitude 7 earthquake was felt in Tibagan High School on July 27, causing the class to be

canceled. (Fig 1.2). With this, the structure must be evaluated in order to determine the risk

posed by the previous earthquake. The researchers will assess the building by developing seismic
fragility curves to raise awareness from the past seismic issue. Furthermore, to determine the

level of damage when the strong earthquake “The Big One” occurred in Tibagan High School.

Fig 1.1 Distance of fault line from Tibagan High School in Makati using PHILVOCS Fault
Finder

Fig 1.2 A News5 report on the recent earthquake that

The main objective of this research is to assess the structural seismic integrity by developing

seismic fragility curves using Rapid Visual Assessment, Nonlinear Static Analysis, and Capacity

Spectrum Method. Moreover, this study seeks to collect data and plot the fragility curves in

Tibagan High School in Makati from the following engineering software and methods:

 Using USHER Rapid Visual Inspection (RVI) application in conducting Rapid Visual

Assessment to determine the seismic vulnerability index.

 Using SAP2000 to simulate the school building structural model and analyze the two

methods: Nonlinear Static Analysis to determine the yield displacement and ultimate

displacement of the building and Capacity Spectrum Method to determine the

performance points and utilizing PRISM to derive the response spectra based on the

ground motion data from Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology

 To determine its parameters such as damage ranks and indices factors from the result of

Nonlinear Static Analysis and Capacity Spectrum Method and evaluate the performance

of the school building when subjected to strong ground motion as determined from the

seismic fragility curves.

1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study will determine the structural condition of the school building by assessing risk

and vulnerability to provide awareness and security. This study will collect data and use various

methods to evaluate the performance of the school building and the potential damage. The result
will provide knowledge, information, and recommendations that will benefit the individual as

follows:

To school, students, and employees - the study will serve as an awareness for the people who

attend Tibagan High School to be aware of possible damage that may occur once a major

earthquake hits Metro Manila. This study will be a helpful tool in maintaining the school

building for the people working attending the establishment.

To engineers – this study can be used in engineering for this information to refine future plans

for buildings to make them more resilient to natural disasters.

To community - this research will benefit people who live close to Tibagan High School

whenever a natural disaster might occur and to prepare to minimize the potential damage.

To PHILVOLCS – this study will benefit from this research by having better future projects that

can utilize the study's data. They will have an idea about detailed seismic evaluation from the

school, which will help them develop efficient earthquake response plans.

To local government - this study will assist in developing a disaster risk reduction strategy that

reduces the local area's seismic impact. Knowing the potential results and making plans to reduce

the possible harm will be much easier with the aid of the study.

To public’s safety - the findings of this study may be used as additional data to determine

whether the structure needs to be improved, specifically whether it can sustain a 0.4g peak

ground acceleration as specified by the Philippine National Structural Code.

researchers doing research or planning to study a related topic in the future.

1.5 SCOPE AND DELIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

The scope of this research was to create seismic fragility curves for Tibagan High School

in Makati City to evaluate structural seismic integrity. This study will investigate the building's

ability to endure shear failures and develop the fragility curve by employing three seismic

assessment methods: Rapid Visual Assessment, Nonlinear Static Analysis (Push-Over Analysis)

and Capacity Spectrum Method. This study will implement the use of USHER Rapid Visual

Inspection (RVI) application for Rapid Visual Assessment and SAP2000 software to create

digitized structural model of the school building as well as to analyze the two methods. The

building structure will be subjected to various magnitudes, with a minimum magnitude of 6.0

and a specified number of local Ground Motion Data (GMD) from the Incorporated Research

Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) and Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology

(PHILVOCS) database as shown in Table 1. The data will be limited to the years 2000 to the

present and will primarily come from Luzon and a small portion of Visayas. Furthermore, this

study will not include soil conditions, potential damage costs, or appropriate school building

retrofitting.
 Table 1

LOCATION MAGNITUDE DATE

Philippine Islands Region 6.0 October 9, 2003

Luzon, Philippines 6.0 September 15, 2004

Mindoro, Philippines 6.4 October 8, 2004

Mindoro, Philippines 7.0 March 3, 2006

Luzon, Philippines 6.5 June 11, 2006

Mindoro, Philippines 6.7 June 17, 2006

Mindoro, Philippines 6.5 September 9, 2006

Mindoro, Philippines 6.0 March 25, 2010

Mindoro, Philippines 6.2 August 11, 2017

Luzon, Philippines 6.1 April 22, 2019

Mindoro, Philippines 6.3 December 24, 2020

Mindoro, Philippines 6.7 July 23, 2021

Luzon, Philippines 6.1 May 21, 2022

Luzon, Philippines 7.0 July 27, 2022

Input Process Output

 Collecting related
studies relevant to  Seismic
 Create digitize structural
the topic and doing Vulnerability Index
model of the school building
an extensive study
using SAP2000
on the important  Yield displacement
sources and and ultimate
information.  Using USHER Rapid Visual
displacement
Inspection (RVI) application
 Acquiring the as- in conducting Rapid Visual  Seismic Fragility
built structural plan Curves
Assessment
of Tibagan High
School and  Performance points
understand its  Nonlinear Static Analysis
specifications.  Damage Ranks and
(Push-Over Analysis)
Damage Indices
 Ground motion data
from Incorporated  Capacity Spectrum Method  Probability
Research Institutions occurrences
for Seismology
(IRIS)
 The researchers conducted extensive research on the topic from various authors, and the

school provided the as-built structural and architectural plan of the Tibagan High School

Building, which was studied to understand its specifications. From the Incorporated Research

Institutions for Seismology (IRIS), the ground motion data was obtained. ith the used of

engineering software, such as SAP2000 to create digitized structural model of the school

building. Additionally, using USHER Rapid Visual Inspection (RVI) application to conduct

Rapid Visual Assessment. Push-Over Analysis is a nonlinear method for calculating structure

strength in order to determine the structure's yield displacement and maximum displacement,

whereas the Capacity Spectrum Method is used to determine the performance points and derive

response spectra based on the ground motion data. In general, those procedures will determine

the structural condition and the results of the analysis will lead to a conclusion and

recommendation.