SeismoShield Solutions (S3 Lab)

What are we doing?

We do research on seismic vulnerability of tunnels and underground facilities in Oman. We're currently engaged in a project, supported by the Special Economic Zone Authority of Duqm, focusing on the geotechnical vulnerability zoning of sites in the Duqm region.  We are also working to assess the reliability and resilience aspects of the highway network in Muscat subjected to earthquake-based multi-hazard scenarios. These are our ongoing research activities at Earthquake Monitoring Center (EMC), Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in Muscat, Oman. These findings will have a significant impact on professionals and decision-makers involved in projects concerning the resilient design of urban infrastructure. Site engineers, designers, consultants, and policymakers stand to gain valuable insights from these studies. It can play a crucial role in guiding decision-making processes geared towards strengthening infrastructure resilience in preparation for potential disasters in Oman.

We carried out seismic loss and resilience modelling of bridges in soft soils. In this project, the seismic loss and resilience of bridges located in soft soil are examined based on proposed fragility functions at both the individual element and system levels. The effects of aging and construction quality are also taken into account to evaluate the seismic performance of bridges, considering 2% and 10% probabilities of earthquakes over return periods of 50 and 100 years. The findings of this study can also contribute to evaluating the transportation network functionality and decision- making procedures within a designated framework for disaggregation in any earthquake scenario. We also conduced reliability and resilience potential of coastal highway networks (CHN) in Republic of South Korea, subjected to earthquake and flood based interacting multi-hazard. This analysis integrated fragility functions for earthquake-induced landslides, liquefaction, tsunamis, and flood-induced landslides with traffic data for selected highway links. This data enabled to estimate the damage incurred by bridges along each highway link and appraise the CHN functionality in the post-hazard scenarios. The proposed approach is applied to all highway links for multi-hazard scenarios defined for the assumed network in the selected region. An economic sensitivity analysis revealed that tsunamis, flood-induced landslides, and liquefaction significantly increase costs, underscoring the profound impact of factors that represent dominant intensity measures on the overall network cost and traffic flow. Additionally, the resilience assessment underscored the necessity of retrofitting specific bridges and demonstrates how such implementation can substantially reduce both damage and economic losses. This also highlighted that bridges with a higher probability of failure confront more substantial losses and claim an extended recovery time.

Within the Korean Peninsula, the North Gyeongsang Province emerges as the epicenter of intense seismic activity, hosting the notable nuclear power plants (NPPs), Hanul and Wolseong. We meticulously evaluated the seismic hazard, ground response, and liquefaction potential inherent to the North Gyeongsang region. The microzonation outcomes provided the groundwork for an exhaustive scrutiny of the seismic vulnerability inherent to NPPs. This scrutiny, in turn, facilitated the derivation of intricate risk matrices, a cornerstone in the edifice of comprehensive risk assessment. Expanding the scope, a dedicated seismic risk assessment is executed for the Wolseong NPP. The ensuing results are artfully presented across three post-earthquake distinct functional scenarios, achieved through the integration of a scrupulously derived site-specific intensity-response relationship for assumed damage states. In tandem, the exposition of health, safety, and operational risks for each damage state enriched the narrative. The proposed dataset, microzonation maps, risk matrices, and functionality mappings collectively transcended the confines of mere documentation; rather, they emerged as indispensable tools for the critical evaluation of extant and prospective NPPs in South Korea. This compendium, in its entirety, served as a lodestar, illuminating the path toward the formulation of earthquake-resistant designs for NPPs. Its significance extends beyond the technical realm, infiltrating the domains of risk management, policy formulation, and decision-making strategies within seismically active territories.