RAPID VISUAL SCREENING METHOD FOR RC BUILDING STRUCTURES

The destruction caused by recent earthquakes worldwide highlights the urgent need to assess buildings, especially those in medium-high-seismic-prone areas. Over the past few decades, advances in earthquake engineering have led to new methods to evaluate the hazard levels in buildings. Several seismic evaluation methods have been developed across the world. One such method, which is both rapid and cost-effective, is Rapid Visual Screening (RVS). In this paper, a detailed investigation has been done on the developed RVS methodologies in the field. Seismic evaluation guidelines from, the USA, Canada, Japan, and New Zealand, are reviewed from the perspective of their applicability. Each method is briefly outlined, highlighting its key features, applications, and contributions to seismic vulnerability assessment of RC building structures. According to most of the guidelines used worldwide, the work of various researchers was also presented.