Earthquake Resistance of Brick Prefabricated Panel Houses

The earthquake resistance of brick prefabricated panel houses is relatively low, posing certain risks during earthquakes. However, safety can be enhanced through renovation.

Current State of Earthquake Resistance

Newly built prefabricated panel houses generally meet a seismic fortification standard of magnitude 7, but their overall earthquake resistance remains lower than that of reinforced cast-in-place houses. Prefabricated panel houses built before the 1980s have even lower seismic standards, typically only able to withstand magnitude 6 earthquakes. These houses have poor overall integrity, with structures resembling 'building blocks,' making them prone to collapse during earthquakes. For example, many such houses collapsed during the Wenchuan earthquake. During a magnitude 3.6 earthquake in Jiyuan, Henan, prefabricated panel buildings over 20 years old without standardized seismic design were unlikely to collapse or suffer structural cracks, but a few may have experienced minor issues such as fine cracks in wall paint, slight peeling of wall finishes, and minor loosening of ceilings, which did not affect the main structure's safety.

Measures to Enhance Safety

1. Structural Reinforcement: Installing steel frames or pouring concrete into walls, laying steel mesh at joints can enhance the overall integrity of the house; adding seismic isolation bearings to reduce structural vibration by isolating seismic energy transmission; using high-ductility cement for wall plastering can increase earthquake resistance to magnitude 7.
2. Policy Support: The '15th Five-Year Plan for Urban Renewal' issued by the State Council explicitly proposes to renovate more than 500,000 sets (rooms) of non-complete housing, including C- and D-grade dangerous housing and prefabricated panel houses in cities, and steadily advance the renovation of prefabricated panel houses and seismic reinforcement of houses in earthquake-prone areas. This policy provides direction and guarantees for improving the earthquake resistance of prefabricated panel houses.

Daily Precautions

Residents living in prefabricated panel houses should pay attention to the structural safety of their homes and regularly inspect walls, joints, and other areas for cracks or signs of looseness. In earthquake-prone areas, it is advisable to understand the earthquake resistance of the house in advance and contact professional agencies for evaluation and reinforcement if necessary to reduce earthquake risks.