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A new concept to the earthquake vulnerability estimation and its application to the early warning system

Yutaka Nakamura
System and Data Research Co., Ltd, SDR Bldg. 3-25-3 Fujimidai Kunitachi-shi, Tokyo 186-0003, Japan.
Tel. : +81-42-5744536 Fax: +81-42-5744576,
E-mail: yutaka@sdr.co.jp

Abstract:
It is widely recognised that systematical and continuous monitoring of earthquakes is necessary for the early warning. On the other hand, investigation of the ground response should always have a high priority, so as to be able to estimate the damage that will be caused by earthquakes. This study proposes an easy and effective approach for the estimation of the characteristics of both the near-surface ground and the structures. The deformation characteristics are approximated from the amplification and the natural frequency information that are determined from microremors. This approach is verified for several cases by comparing the estimated damage with the actual damage caused by the earthquakes. It is proved that effective estimation of the actual damage situation is possible by combining the continuously monitored data with the characteristics of the structure and the sub-surface ground.