Wenchuan earthquake fault and seismic disaster

Major cases of the M_S8.0 Wenchuan earthquake are obtained through field investigations of the epicenter and high-intensity areas, and the relationships among earthquake faults, ground motion and earthquake disasters near fault zones are analyzed. Both strong deformation and ground rupture lead to significant damages of the buildings, indicating that it is necessary to keep safe distance away from active faults and to take other necessary measures. There are two reasons for that the buildings near the surface rupture zones have withstood in the strong earthquake, other than their seismic resistance capacities, with the first being the site condition, and the second the reduced effective stress and low rupture velocity. The forms of structural damages are complex in the fault areas, with shear failure and tensile and compressive damages. Those structures in urban areas that have used qualified materials and followed the building codes performed well in the earthquake. Survey results also indicate that structures of flexible materials may show better seismic performance.