Damage to Timber Buildings

Abstract

The damage to timber buildings occurred over a wide swath from Tohoku down to northern Kanto. The cause of damage is divided either by ground motion or by tsunami. The damage due to ground motion is categorized by the main cause of damage, either the ground deformation including the liquefaction or the vibration of the superstructure. In this chapter, the result of the reconnaissance on timber buildings damaged due to the ground motion is shown. Then, the result of the time history analysis is conducted to clarify the relationship between the characteristics of ground motion and the damage of wood houses. Finally in this chapter, the result of the reconnaissance on timber buildings damaged due to the tsunami is summarized. Many wood houses were swept away by tsunami wave within areas of deep inundation. However, there were a few cases where wood houses with high grade structural specifications and shield against tsunami impact remained in place area. © Springer Japan 2012.