A Prototype of Distributed Simulation for Facility Restoration Operation Analysis through Incorporation of Immediate Damage Assessment

To rapidly recover ceased functionality of a facility after a catastrophic seismic event, critical decisions on facility repair works are made within a limited period of time. However, prolonged damage assessment of facilities, due to massive damage in the surrounding region and the complicated damage judgment procedures, may impede restoration planning. To assist reliable structural damage estimation without a deep knowledge and rapid interactive analysis among facility damage and restoration operations during the approximate restoration project planning phase, we developed a prototype of distributed facility restoration simulations through the use of high-level architecture (HLA) (IEEE 1516). The simulation prototype, in which three different simulations (including a seismic data retrieval technique, a structural response simulator, and a restoration simulation module) interact with each other, enables immediate damage estimation by promptly detecting earthquake intensity and the restoration operation analysis according to estimated damage. By conducting case simulations and experiments, research outcomes provide key insights into post-disaster restoration planning, including the extent to which facility damage varies according to disaster severity, facility location, and structures. Additional insights arise regarding the extent to which different facility damage patterns impact a project's performance, especially when facility damage is hard to estimate by observation. In particular, an understanding of required type and amount of repair activities (e.g., demolition works, structural reinforcement, frame installation, or finishing works) is expected to support project managers in approximate work scheduling or resource procurement plans.