Student researcher

Bin Xing Research Leader

The research project is to study the seismic retrofitting for the limited to non-ductile reinforced concrete (RC) buildings in Australia which make up the most of the Australian building stock. This research aims to develop a new methodology to evaluate the potential risk seismic of vulnerable existing RC buildings to make informed decisions about the vulnerable buildings in Australia, including the requirement of seismic retrofitting, upgrading of the design standards and codes, and the development of insurance policies. A distinctive assessment of retrofitting methodology involving three-tiered approach was introduced in this research, which is different from other methodologies. The three-level tiered approach was developed to evaluate the potential vulnerability of Australian buildings for the decision making of seismic retrofitting. It is expected that the developed three-tiered methodology will provide significant contribution to the seismic evaluation and retrofit of existing RC building in Australia. The research project contributes to the Bushfire Natural Hazard CRC project “Cost-effective mitigation strategy development for building related earthquake risk”. 

This research project will examine the vulnerabilities of existing RC buildings to show if the existing RC buildings are required to be retrofitted or not. It aligns with the emergency services purpose of reducing the potential natural hazards throughout AustraliaIt is clear that this research project should be conducted in collaboratin with emergency services, other government and non-government agencies to prevent, prepare, and recover from natural disasters. AFAC annual conference 2019 will be a good opportunity for me to widen my collaborative networks, including these public services, government or non-government agencies. It will be beneficial for me to attend AFAC 2019 to learn more about their work and incorporate them in my research. Attending AFAC 2019 will also widen the view of my research and enhance its quality to match the requirements from other emergency services. 

31 Aug 2020
Key findings: Bracings, walls, and both elements used together can be very effective in increasing the...