Fragility curve-based resilience index for structural vulnerability assessment in hazard analysis
Mohamed A. Sherif,Amr M. Ghanem,Mostafa H. Abdelhafeez,Donghyuk Jung,Dae-Jin Kim,Do-Soo Moon
Abstract
Structural systems are exposed to a wide range of hazards that can lead to performance degradation or failure. Fragility curves are commonly used to describe how the probability of failure increases with hazard intensity, yet they do not offer a straightforward way to compare the vulnerability of different structures or determine which ones require priority in mitigation planning. This study introduces a global resilience index that reflects how a fragility curve evolves across the full hazard intensity range. The index is formulated from two components: a probabilistic term based on the mean, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation of the cumulative lognormal fragility model, and an amplification factor that represents the portion of the hazard range in which the structure remains in a low-probability-of-failure state. These terms are combined into a normalized value between 0 and 1 that captures both failure likelihood and retained functional capacity. The index is applied to fragility curves from different structural configurations, and in each case it reflects expected trends and distinguishes meaningful differences in vulnerability. Although the method is limited to fragility curves that follow a cumulative lognormal distribution and does not include recovery modeling, it offers a simple and consistent tool for comparing structural performance and supporting hazard-mitigation decisions.
(1) Mohamed A. Sherif, Amr M. Ghanem, Mostafa H. Abdelhafeez, Do-Soo Moon — Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
(2) Donghyuk Jung — School of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
(3) Dae-Jin Kim — Department of Architectural Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea.
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