On the seismic vulnerability assessment of timber and steel large-span structures

The seismic vulnerability assessment of existing buildings is a great issue in seismic prone countries. Attention should be focused not only on ordinary buildings, but also on constructions of particular importance, which are characterized by large spans. In this regards the paper deals with the in situ survey of buildings after seismic shocks, focusing on the survey form useful for a quick level seismic vulnerability evaluation. It would give a contribution to the improvement of the form including the structural peculiarities that serve to catch the main vulnerabilities of large span timber and steel structures. Preliminary, examples of realization of the most common structural types of existing buildings are collected. Furthermore the AeDES form by DPC and the Rapid Visual Screening (RVS) form by FEMA are analysed and compared. They being available for different construction types, the actual forms do not yet provide a completely pertinent description for large-span timber and steel structures. In particular the AeDES form is taken as reference. Therefore it is integrated through both peculiarities of the study structural types and RVS elements deemed relevant. Integrations suggested allow a more comprehensive general description for these typologies emphasizing the singular points commonly considered as structural vulnerabilities