Este trabajo presenta un estudio de riesgo sísmico para los edificios de Mérida, Venezuela. Consiste en una evaluación de la amenaza y de la vulnerabilidad sísmicas para toda la ciudad y en un estudio más detallado de la vulnerabilidad de viviendas de autoconstrucción en el Barrio de "La Milagrosa".Se describe la ciudad de Mérida y su evolución durante sus más de 400 años de historia. Se lleva a cabo una evaluación de su peligrosidad sísmica. El marco tectónico así como las zonas sismogenéticas se toman de otros estudios. Se efectúa un análisis probabilístico no zonificado, obteniendo los períodos de retorno y las probabilidades anuales de excedencia de terremotos de grado I = VI a I = IX según la Escala Macrosísmica Europea. Las aceleraciones máximas horizontales para estos eventos se estiman mediante una ley de atenuación deducida especialmente para el oeste de Venezuela. Estas aceleraciones se utilizan para efectuar una serie representativa de análisis de la respuesta (en la meseta). Los períodos máximos obtenidos así como los correspondientes factores de amplificación se utilizan para realizar una Microzonificación de dicha meseta. Los efectos inducidos (licuefacción y deslizamientos) se estiman mediante la metodología de estimación de pérdidas sísmicas HAZUS®.Se utilizan dos metodologías de evaluación de la vulnerabilidad: IVIM y LM1. LM1 proporciona distribuciones de vulnerabilidad para Mérida; éstas permiten concluir de manera preliminar que la mayor parte de las construcciones de "La Milagrosa" (y de otros asentamientos informales) son altamente vulnerables. IVIM se utiliza para llevar a cabo una evaluación más detallada de la vulnerabilidad de estas construcciones; la información sobre éstas se adquiere estudiando los informes de daños para situaciones similares, intentando comprender su comportamiento frente a acciones sísmicas y efectuando un análisis de tres edificios prototipo (de una, dos y tres plantas) según la normativa sismorresistente Venezolana. La evaluación por la metodología IVIM permite clasificar a las construcciones según sus índices de vulnerabilidad. Esta información se utiliza para efectuar un nuevo estudio dentro de "La Milagrosa" (con la metodología LM1) para obtener escenarios de daño.Se proponen soluciones preliminares para construcción sismorresistente de nuevos edificios y para acondicionamiento de edificios existentes. Se incluye un balance económico coste-beneficio.Se presentan escenarios globales de daño obtenidos con la metodología LM1. El sistema de información geográfica ArcView® utilizado en esta investigación proporciona distintas maneras de presentar la información disponible. La distribución del daño en la ciudad se ilustra especialmente mediante los distintos grados de daño (para las intensidades escenario) como porcentaje de los edificios en los subsectores. / This work presents a seismic risk assessment on the buildings of Mérida, Venezuela. It consists of a global hazard and vulnerability evaluation and a deeper vulnerability analysis for non-engineered constructions at the "La Milagrosa" settlement.The city of Mérida and its physical evolution throughout more than 400 years is described. A seismic hazard assessment is performed. The tectonic framework as well as the seismogenic zones are taken from other studies. A non-zonified probabilistic analysis is performed obtaining the return periods and annual exceedance probabilities for events corresponding to the European Macroseismic Scale intensity degrees from I = VI to I = IX. The expected horizontal PGAs for these events are estimated by means of a specially derived attenuation law for western Venezuela. These accelerations are used for a number of representative site response analyses (in the plateau). The obtained maximum amplification periods and the corresponding amplification factors are used to carry out a microzonation of the Mérida plateau. Possible induced effects such as liquefaction and landsliding are estimated by the HAZUS® Earthquake Loss Estimation Methodology.Two vulnerability assessment methodologies (IVIM and LM1) are used. LM1 provides vulnerability distributions for Mérida; they allow preliminarily concluding that most of the constructions at "La Milagrosa" (and other informal settlements) are highly vulnerable. IVIM is used to perform a more detailed vulnerability evaluation of these constructions; the required knowledge about them is acquired by studying the available damage reports for similar situations, by trying to understand their seismic behavior and by performing a code type analysis (following Venezuelan regulations) on three prototype buildings (with one, two and three floors, respectively). The output of the evaluation by the IVIM is a classification of the constructions according their vulnerability indices. This information is used to perform a new study inside "La Milagrosa" with LM1 methodology providing local damage scenarios.Preliminary solutions for earthquake resistant construction of new buildings and for seismic strengthening of existing ones are proposed. A Cost-Benefit analysis is presented.Global damage scenarios obtained by the LM1 method are presented. Several manners to display this information are available through the GIS ArcView® software used in this research; the distribution of the different damage grades occurring at the scenario intensities as a percentage of the total number of buildings in the sub-sectors, is primarily used to display the damage distribution in the city.

The analysis of the structural seismic response has gained a special importance both for the seismic design of buildings as for predicting the damage caused by earthquakes. In this thesis a complete study about the seismic risk assessment of the two main structuraltypologies of residential buildings of Barcelona, Spain, is presented. These correspond to reinforced concrete buildings with waffle slabs and unreinforced masonry buildings. The main goal of this research is to apply a systematic methodology for the seismic riskassessment, by means of fragility curves, in buildings located in urban zones with moderate seismic hazard.After revising the conceptual aspects involved in the seismic risk assessment and describing the current state of the art, the adopted methodology to evaluate the structuralcapacity, fragility and expected damage analyses is described. To assess the capacity a structural modelling of the buildings and a non-linear static analysis is required. The fragility or vulnerability is evaluated through the capacity spectrum, by means of a simplified procedure. The damage probability matrixes for a given seismic scenario require knowledge of the maximum structural response, which is obtained by using the capacity spectrum method.The methodology has been applied to three reinforced concrete models representative oflow, mid and high rise buildings of the city; this has allowed developing seismic risk scenarios for two earthquakes, which occurrence in Barcelona is reasonably possible. These scenarios take into account the Barcelona seismic zoning.The method has been also applied to characterize the expected seismic behaviour of masonry buildings, modelling three typical buildings of the Eixample District. Two of them present different plane configuration, one more regular than the other. The third isrepresentative of corner buildings, typical of the city's blocks. The better behaviour of the regular buildings compared to corner buildings is confirmed. An aggregate set of buildings, corresponding to a typical line of the district's blocks has been studied. It has been observed that the aggregate behaviour does not improve; instead it inherits the vulnerability of the constituting buildings.A sensitivity analysis of the slight and extensive threshold damage states is carried out; it is observed that little variations in these thresholds significantly influence the expected damage. Consequently, new thresholds for these damage states are proposed based on certain structural characteristics obtained from the non-linear static analysis. The proposed slight damage threshold takes into account the elastic stiffness degradation, while hardening is considered for the extensive damage state. To validate the results obtained with of the employed methodology, a series of non linear dynamic analysis were carried out in two reinforced concrete buildings. The global results were compatible with the ones of the methodology. In general, the results show a good confidence level.Finally, the conclusions drawn the current thesis are summarized and some recommendations for future works are given.