Seismic Performance Evaluation of Strengthened Typical Sprinkler Piping Systems in Hospitals

Seismic Performance Evaluation of Strengthened Typical Sprinkler Piping Systems in Hospitals

In recent years, due to the vigorous development of performance design concepts, the seismic capacity of critical building structures, such as hospitals and high-tech factories, has improved. Major disasters and economic losses caused by earthquakes have shifted from structural to non-structural systems, which include piping systems. This study considered a medium-scale hospital in Southern Taiwan as an example for discussing the effects of installing strengthening elements recommended by NFPA 13 on sprinkler piping systems. First, this research used detailed analysis results to construct and compare the fragility curves of original and strengthened systems. Second, this study proposed a simplified assessment method of the original and strengthened systems according to the dynamic characteristics of the sprinkler piping system. It provided engineers with an alternative method that enables rapid and approximate judgment of the seismic performance of piping systems based on in situ observations and a generic floor response spectrum.