Seismic damage assessment of under-construction industrial buildings: Insights from the february 2023 Türkiye-Syria earthquakes

In the aftermath of major global earthquakes, not only do we face a profound impact on human lives, but also substantial economic losses are incurred. Such economic downturns are primarily attributed to the collapse or impairment of industrial structures, rendering them unusable and resulting in functional losses. In the wake of the devastating earthquakes of February 6, 2023, which caused significant loss of life and damaged over a million residential and industrial structures, Türkiye faced a monumental challenge in assessing and addressing the structural integrity of industrial constructions. The two main tremors, recorded with moment magnitudes 7.7 for Pazarcık and 7.6 for Elbistan, occurred along the East Anatolian Fault Zone (EAFZ), a significant tectonic boundary delineating the convergence zone of the Arabian and Anatolian tectonic plates. This study initially scrutinized the damages and underlying causes in industrial buildings with various supporting systems through field observations. Furthermore, a comprehensive three-dimensional non-linear numerical analysis was conducted on a three-story unfinished industrial structure that had suffered significant damage during the earthquakes. The time history analyses were performed using earthquake acceleration records closest to the structure, based on the finite element method. In creating the structural model, section and reinforcement details specified in the existing design project of the building were used, and both section capacities and non-linear behavior characteristics were defined according to TBEC 2018. The comparison between the damage conditions observed post-earthquake and those obtained from numerical analyses underlined the unchanged state of the structure, despite an increase in plastic rotation rates of structural elements after the Elbistan earthquake. Furthermore, relative to the thresholds set by the TBEC 2018, the observed peak displacements and story drifts did not surpass the code limits, despite the first floor showing concentrated story drift leading to permanent deformations. In addition to numerical analyses, comprehensive field observations reveal the critical influence of manufacturing and construction processes on the seismic resilience of structures. It is evident that enhancing the quality of construction materials, ensuring compliance with reinforcement steel's ductility requirements, and employing stringent quality control measures during the production phase are imperative to mitigate seismic risks.