The majority of houses in the Groningen gas field region, the largest in Europe, consist of unreinforced masonry material. Because of their particular characteristics (cavity walls of different material, large openings, limited bearing walls in one direction, etc.) these houses are exceptionally vulnerable …

Presentation at the RCE, Amersfoort during the WTA-international (Wissenschaftlich-Technische Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Bauwerkserhaltung und Denkmalpflege) meeting about earthquakes and building.

Presentatie bij Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Künstliche Intelligenz over aardbevingen en onderzoek hierover

Fraeylemaborg is a noble house in an earthquake-stricken area of the Netherlands due to the induced seismicity events in the region. The structure is located in the middle of the town of Slochteren which gave its name to the largest gas field in the world upon its discovery in 1959. The gas extraction …

Mild steel is relatively low-cost and easily accessible material to fabricate some structural members. It would be a significant advantage if seismic energy dissipaters that are used in structures constructed in the earthquake prone areas, could also be produced on site. In this paper, a promising seismic …

I was somewhat surprized with the fog in Groningen upon my arrival. This is not the fog that covers the beautiful landscapes of the northern Netherlands in the evening and in the early morning. No… It is the fog that obscures the real aspects of the earthquake problem in the region and is crystallised …

Collapses of school or dormitory buildings experienced in recent earthquakes raise the issue of safety as a major challenge for decision makers. A school building is ‘just another structure’ technically speaking, however, the consequences of a collapse in an earthquake could lead to social reactions …

The lack of in-depth understanding of the seismic behavior and ductility of precast concrete structures makes it difficult to reach to ductility demand which could be exhibited during an earthquake. The limitations are mainly related to the beam-to-column connections as the main load transfer paths. …