Impact of Material Deterioration on Tornadic Vulnerability in Built Infrastructure: Implications of Building a Weather-Ready Nation

Title: Impact of Material Deterioration on Tornadic Vulnerability in Built Infrastructure: Implications for Building a Weather-Ready Nation

Tornado fragility curves have been found to be useful tools for assessing potential damages to structures and play an essential role in tornadic wind risk assessment procedures. prevailing fragility assessment approaches have been prevalently employed for tornadic vulnerability assessment for non-deteriorating structures, while traditionally overlooking the impact of deterioration resulting from poor maintenance, which can significantly increase structural vulnerability during tornado events. This research aims to enhance our understanding of how material deterioration influences the tornadic vulnerability of built infrastructure, contributing to the broader goal of building a weather-ready nation.

Research Questions:

1. How does material deterioration impact the tornadic wind loading response of building materials?
2. What are the significant changes in tornadic fragilities of deteriorating structures compared to well-maintained, non-deteriorating ones?

Methodology:

1. Develop structural resistance models for deteriorated building materials based on real-world deterioration rates.
2. Create time-dependent fragility models comparing the performance of deteriorated materials against pristine conditions.
3. Assess the impact of deterioration on Enhanced Fujita Scale wind speed upper bounds and degrees of damage across various commercial building types.

Key Findings:

1. Material deterioration over time reduces structural resistance, potentially compromising the entire building system during tornadoes.
2. Fragility curve analysis reveals a substantial shift in the probability of exceedance for deteriorated materials, indicating increased vulnerability to tornadic winds.
3. Probabilistic analysis shows up to a 37% increase in individual material vulnerability due to deterioration, highlighting the need for improved maintenance strategies to prevent failure at lower wind speeds than those indicated by the EF Scale.

Conclusion:
Understanding and addressing material deterioration is essential for improving the resilience of our built environment against tornadoes. By integrating deterioration factors into fragility assessments, this research provides valuable insights into vulnerability reduction strategies, contributing to the ongoing efforts of building a weather-ready nation.