Development of Damage Functions on Road Infrastructures Subjected to Extreme Ground Excitations by Analyzing Damage in the 2011 off the Pacific Coast of Tohoku Earthquake

Abstract

Road infrastructure damage due to extreme ground excitations during the March 2011 Tohoku earthquake was assessed and 161 items of damage road structure data were classified into three types of failure modes: road surface and embankment damage items, road surface crack items and road subsidence items. We then compared a damage ratio, which is defined by the number of damage points divided by total road length, to the estimated spatial distribution of JMA instrumental seismic intensity. The maximum damage ratio for the 161 damage data items is 0.0290 points/km compared to a JMA instrumental seismic intensity of 5.8. Last, we developed damage functions for road infrastructures subjected to extreme ground excitations, which describe the relationship between the damage ratios and seismic intensity.