Application of a Heuristic-Diffuse Model to Support Decision-Making in Assessing the Post-seismic Structural Damage of a Building

This research paper aims to evaluate structural damage of a building after a telluric movement occurred, by applying a heuristic-diffuse model to support the decision-making of experts in the seismic area. Ecuador is located in a highly seismic area, so it is necessary to study damage to the building structures after a telluric movement. Current damage assessment techniques are based on quantitative results, creating uncertainty. When an earthquake occurs, there is not enough certified staff, so professionals are attended without the experience to carry out the assessments and this involves the final decisions that are made not the most accurate. For the evaluation model proposed in this research, the AHP (Analytical Hierarchical Process) methodology is used in order to be able to determine the relative weights of the groups of variables that make up the building, this methodology consists of a heuristic method based on expert experience on a specific topic and in conjunction with fuzzy logic techniques will allow to work directly with the qualitative values of the data, thus providing subjective results easy to interpret that will serve as a decision-making aid. Once you have entered the data corresponding to the damage in the structural elements such as columns or beams, non-structural elements such as the facade, and data related to the type of soil, you get the levels or index of overall structural damage, non-structural and soil conditions, the level of habitability of the building is determined by applying fuzzy rules based on Mamdani’s inference.