Seismic damage to pipelines in the framework of Na-Tech risk assessment Giovanni Lanzano a , Filippo Santucci de Magistris b , Giovanni Fabbrocino b , Ernesto Salzano c, * a Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, via Bassini 15, 20133 Milano, Italy b Dipartimento DiBiT, Universit a degli studi del Molise, Contrada Fonte Lappone, Pesche (IS), Italy c Istituto di Ricerche sulla Combustione, CNR, via Diocleziano 328, 80124 Napoli, Italy article info Article history: Received 19 September 2014 Received in revised form 26 November 2014 Accepted 11 December 2014 Available online 12 December 2014 Keywords: Pipeline Earthquake Na-Tech Ground failure Lifeline Fragility curve abstract The structural integrity of pipelines undergone seismic waves is crucial for industrial installation and for the distributed transportation networks of gaseous and liquid fluids. However, it is nowadays proved that the definition of seismic vulnerability based on purely, structural-derived limit states or on return-to- service or even on the purely economic repair rate indications, is not sufficient for the holistic analysis of risks. On the other hand, detailed numerical studies based on full analyses (including fluid/soil/ structure interaction) are too expensive for the aims of risk assessment and simplified methodologies are still needed. In this paper, a large database of earthquake-induced damage for steel and non-steel pipelines is presented. Each case was analyzed and collected from post-earthquake reconnaissance, seismic en- gineering reports and technical papers. The database may be adopted for the definition of specific vulnerability function (fragility curves), which are commonly implemented in multi-hazard analyses, and more in general for the assessment of Na-Tech risks (Natural events triggering Technological disasters). © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Lifelines are crucial infrastructures for the sustainment and development of human activities. Among others, the distributed infrastructural network based on pipelines, which is commonly adopted for the transportation of gases or liquids on national or international basise even for thousands of kilometers - is economically and politically strategic. Besides, industrial in- stallations are typically based on complex pipeline systems for the transportation of hazardous substances, even if the extension of the network is often limited within the installation. In both cases, the structural integrity of pipeline is a main issue for designers. Indeed, any release of content results primarily in service inter- ruption but may also trigger or evolve towards severe catastrophic scenarios as environmental disasters, toxic dispersions, fires or explosions, in dependence of the hazard of the transported fluid, of the structural design, and of the type of operation (e.g. pres- surized equipment). Quite clearly, structural damage of critical infrastructures, including pipelines, may be due to either anthropogenic causes or for disastrous natural events. The latest are characterized by large destructive potential, by the large scale (which is essential for distributed systems) and relatively highly frequent with respect to the typical industrial accident, at least in some parts of the world. That issue has been clearly recognized by the scientific and tech- nological community but also by the competent authorities, at least in the industrial framework. As a matter of fact, in the last decade, Na-Tech risks, i.e. the analysis of natural events triggering * Corresponding author. E-mail address: salzano@irc.cnr.it (E. Salzano). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jlp http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jlp.2014.12.006 0950-4230/© 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries 33 (2015) 159e172