IN-SITU EXPERIMENTAL TESTS OF PIPING SYSTEMS IN HOSPITALS AND HEALTH FACILITIES

Non-structural component failures due to earthquake events can cause significant economic losses and even life-threatening hazards to occupants. For buildings with special occupancies and functions, such as hospitals, a higher level of performance is required to address the life safety issues, since patients often have limited mobility and are dependent on caregivers or specialized medical equipment. In addition, non-structural damage is often the main cause of health service interruption as a result of seismic events. The complexity of non-structural components in hospitals and health facilities is due to the presence of extensive networks of mechanical, electrical and piping systems necessary for essential functions. These systems are critical services on which the operation of a hospital depends. In order to conduct a more accurate seismic analysis or damage assessment of the piping systems, it is necessary to establish reliable numerical models. From this point of view it has been shown that dynamic identification techniques are nowadays a reliable method for the dynamic characterization of the piping systems. In this work, the results of two experimental ambient vibration tests are reported to determine the dynamic properties, such as the natural frequencies and mode shapes, of a fire-fighting system and a heat water piping system, located in a health facility in the South of Italy. The dynamic in situ tests have been carried out in the framework of the PRIN research project ENRICH- “ENhancing the Resilience of Italian healthCare and Hospital facilities”.