Projects
Research Project Collaboration
Project: ERIES-ENFRAG: ENhancing state-dependent FRAGility through experimentally validated Energy-Based Approaches
Period: May 2023 – Present
Role: Research Collaborator
Funding: ERIES Transnational Access Joint Research Funding Mechanism Description:
ERIES-ENFRAG advances state-dependent earthquake fragility assessment methodologies. The project focuses on masonry infill walls experiencing cumulative states of damage due to combinations of in- plane (IP) and out-of-plane (OOP) actions, commonly quantified through two different peak-based engineering demand parameters (EDPs). ERIES-ENFRAG explores the experimental validation of hysteretic energy-based fragility assessment approaches, which are: 1) currently based only on analytical and/or numerical validations; 2) only considering one type of action/damage mechanism. ERIES-ENFRAG will pave the way for similar cumulative-damage tests for different structures/structural components while providing experimental data on the IP and OOP response of masonry infills. ERIES-ENFRAG aims at a robust consideration of damage-accumulation, particularly relevant in mainshock-aftershock conditions, and will also shed further light on the appropriateness of IP and OOP loading protocols used in experimental testing.
Project: Progetto Dipartimenti di Eccellenza 2018-2022
Period: Jan 2019 – Jun 2022
Role: Doctoral Student
Budget: €8,205,100
Funding: Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR)
Description:
The research activities associated with Line 3 envisaged a complete review of available seismic design and assessment methods currently employed. It focused on issues related to problems with current code-based approaches and aimed to incorporate avant-garde approaches such as risk-based and loss-driven approaches in order to promote and more optimal use of available resources in the future with the overall goal of reducing seismic risk.
Project: ROSSINI: Progettazione, realizzazione e sperimentazione di un sistema prototipale di navigazione risk-aware per la gestione e mitigazione del RischiO SiSmico in industrie a rischio di INcidente rIlevante
Webpage: www.progetto-rossini.it
Period: Feb 2021 – May 2021
Role: Research Collaborator
Budget: €333,300
Funding: Italian National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work (INAIL)
Description:
ROSSINI places itself within the overall field of seismic risk-aware navigation systems. It describes the use of a sensor array for the integrated risk-aware navigation in industrial plants at risk of NaTech accidents, using an industrial plant facility in Italy as its pilot study. The integration of structural and environmental risks estimated and measured in different ways via a sensor array network is presented as part of an integrated risk identification and evaluation (RIE) module. This module is used to combine and map the possible risks spatially within an industrial plant’s layout and shown how this information can then be used to not only compute the safest path to safety for a worker located within such a plant but also how mobile communications can be used to aid and guide them in different scenarios.
Project: INFRA-NAT – Increased Resilience of Critical Infrastructure under Natural and Human-induced Hazards
Webpage: www.infra-nat.eu
Period: Sep 2018 – Oct 2019
Role: Research Collaborator
Budget: €762,839.05
Funding: European Commission – Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG-ECHO)
Description:
The objective of the project was to assess the seismic vulnerability of roadway networks taking into account ageing and deterioration effects of their bridge structures. It focussed on the collection of structure data in Italy, Israel and North Macedonia with the aim of engaging local practitioners and authorities to encourage the adoption of such assessment and prioritisation methodologies.
Project: ITERATE: Improved Tools for Disaster Risk Mitigation in Algeria
Period: Dec 2018 – Sep 2019
Role: Research Collaborator
Budget: €426,000
Funding: European Commission – Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG-ECHO)
Description:
Regions with a significant percentage of non-seismically designed buildings, such as Algeria, are particularly vulnerable to natural hazards. Algeria has indeed been hit by past earthquakes in the northern part of the country (e.g. El Asnam 1980 Mw 7.1 or Boumerdés 2003 Mw 6.8). ITERATE aims at disaster risk prevention and reduction in Algeria, proposing an improved framework for seismic risk assessment, which makes use of a geographical and scientific privileged combination of expertise in Algeria, Portugal and Italy. The existing seismic hazard models will be fine-tuned and integrated with real exposure and physical & social vulnerability models. An open-source integrated tool for loss estimation and decision making will be set up.
Project: ReLUIS/DPC Line 7: Displacement-based seismic loss assessment
Period: Sep 2017 – Dec 2018
Role: Researcher Collaborator
Budget: €475,250.00
Funding: Italian Civil Protection Department