Research interests

Countries located in Sunda plate such as Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore are subjected to relatively low seismic hazard. However, due to relatively large and more frequent earthquake events that occur in the seismic active zone in Sumatra since last decade, these countries are susceptible to higher seismic risk. Apart from the long-distance earthquake treat, Malaysia and Thailand are also suffered from the possible damages caused by the local moderate earthquake. The recent M6.1 Mae Lao earthquake in Chiang Rai province, Thailand on May 5, 2014 and M6.0 Ranau earthquake in Sabah state, Malaysia on June 5, 2015 have evidently demonstrated that these countries are not totally free from earthquake disaster. Both earthquakes have caused various damages to civil engineering structures, such as buildings and bridges, to the extent that they are not safe for occupancy. Hence, a cost-effective and sustainable solution for earthquake risk reduction should be investigated and formulated based on the needs and resources of the low and moderate seismicity countries.

Malaysia is located in low to moderate seismicity region and has not experienced any disastrous earthquake occurrences. However, due to the location close to two of the most seismically active plate boundaries, i.e. Indo-Australian and Eurasian plates, Malaysia has experienced numerous strong tremors caused by earthquakes in those two seismically active zones recently. In addition, several local earthquakes have been recorded in Bukit Tinggi and Kuala Pilah since 2006. Therefore, it is imperative to determine the dynamic characteristics of ground surface and building in Malaysia. Microtremor observation is the latest and affordable approach. The analysis of the recorded the ground vibration or movement caused by artificial disturbance such as traffic, industrial machines and natural phenomena will provide useful information for dynamic design.

Tsunamis are destructive waves which comprise a series of long waves with several hundred kilometers in wave length and several hundreds to a thousand kilometers per hour in flow velocity. Even though tsunami is a rear event, but its impact is devastating. When tsunamis approach a shore, their tremendous amount of energy remains nearly constant, thus, induce huge forces. The high inundation level and the fast-moving water of tsunami flow cause catastrophe to coastal structures and loss of lives as demonstrated in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and 2011 Japan Tohoku tsunami. The understanding of the impact of tsunami on structures located onshore is still lacking. Depending on the coastline bathymetry, the beach slope, the coastal topography, the topographic features and the obstacles, different strengths of tsunamis can significantly impact inland structures. Due to the fact that tsunami is one of the potential threats in the north-west region of Peninsular Malaysia, comprehensive and detailed studies on tsunami impact on structures are vital and need to be explored promptly.