Andrew O'Donnell

Andrew O'Donnell works in the AIR Research and Modeling department as an engineer on the Earthquake Vulnerability team.

7/28/2020 - 11 min read

Modeling Fundamentals: Re-Evaluating the Seismic Vulnerability of Australia’s Major Construction Types

The 2020 update to the AIR Earthquake Model for Australia provided an opportunity to add support for new risk types and re-evaluate the modeled vulnerability for property in Australia. Cavity double brick masonry and masonry veneer constructions, which constitute the majority of residential buildings in Australia, are used as examples to illustrate this update in light of newly available data from Australia and New Zealand.

When a home’s high value also means high earthquake risk

Compared to standard-value homes, high-value homes are larger and more complex structures that are generally constructed better, but may be more vulnerable to earthquakes

Ductility and Stiffness—What They Are and Why They Matter in an Earthquake

Ductility is a materials property that describes the extent to which a material (or structure) can undergo large deformations without failing.