SEISMIC PERFORMANCE OF STEEL INSTANT HOUSES FOR DISASTER RECONSTRUCTION

Abstract

The 2018 Palu and Lombok earthquakes contributed to the challenges of providing both rapid and resilient housing during disaster emergency responses, considering the frequent aftershocks. An alternative proposition is Steel Instant House (SIH), which uses readily available steel column beams and can be quickly assembled through welded connections. Therefore, this study aimed to assess house performance using laboratory experiments and computer modeling methodologies using sheathing-to-frame connections, natural frequency, and lateral tension. The results showed that there was a significant correlation with the load displacement curves obtained from the modeling. The sheathing connection generated a maximum load of 0.75 kN for board pull-through and 0.9 kN for plank pull-out. Both methods provided a natural frequency of 3-4 Hz for the open frame (OF) and approximately 16 Hz for the full sheathing (FS), making the house less susceptible to resonance with seismic vibrations. The OF could resist loads of four times the structure's weight, deformations of 200 mm, or drifts exceeding 6% without sustaining damage. However, the FS could support loads to 1.5 times the structure's weight and deformations of approximately 125 mm or drifts surpassing 3.25% without having damage. This method solved the problem of reconstruction, ensuring that low- and moderate-income communities could have access to safe housing after natural disasters for more resilient and sustainable.