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Effects of wave load models on the uplift risk of ports exposed to hurricanes.

Pile-supported ports allow seawater to run below the deck, and thus may suffer structural
damages during extreme coastal events such as hurricanes. These structural damages, in
turn, may result to port closures that can cause significant economic losses. Risk analysis
can predict the post-hazard functionality of ports though the structural damage assessment
of these structures prior to coastal events. However, assumptions on the selected demand
estimates may affect the estimated probability of structural damage.
This research aims to shed light on the sensitivity of the wave model selection for the risk
assessment of pile-supported ports when subjected to storm surge and waves. The
examined structural damage is the uplift of the deck, and the risk assessment is conducted
through the development of fragility curves for a typical deck-pile connection, for which
fragility curves are developed for different wave models. Uncertainties are also considered
in parameters affecting the demand and capacity of the examined deck-pile connection and
are propagated through the Monte Carlo simulation using the Latin Hypercube Sampling.
The results indicate changes to the uplift probability as a result of the selected wave model.
Thus, wave model selection can alter the uplift failure probability. In addition, the study
proposes parameterized fragility models to enable the uplift risk assessment across a
region. The presented results aim to throw light on the proper model selection to produce
more realistic risk assessment estimates towards the resilience of coastal infrastructure. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:mcmaster.ca/oai:macsphere.mcmaster.ca:11375/27742
Date January 2022
CreatorsEfstathopoulos, Georgios
ContributorsBalomenos, Georgios, Civil Engineering
Source SetsMcMaster University
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis

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