Seismic safety of network structures and infrastructures

Realistic assessment of network structural safety requires modelling of a reasonably large part of the network itself. Although this statement may appear too demanding, both for modelling and computing reasons, there are clear motivations and technological possibilities to do complex network analyses. In this paper, the safety analyses of three infrastructures that have been shaken by an earthquake are described, modelled and computed: the electric power, water and road systems. For each network, results extracted from real networks, some of which have been studied in the past by the authors, are presented and discussed. No inter-network analysis is carried out, although it is recognised that this would be the most complete approach. The common parts in the procedure to model and analyse each network, via Monte Carlo simulations, are detailed at the beginning of the paper, thus showing the many common points that show up in any network analysis.