Seismic damage estimation index for service lines.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a new index for the seismic damage estimation of service lines. The proposed index is based on the tension of each service line due to an earthquake event. Because the tension is evaluated using not only the seismic intensity, but also the dynamic properties of the major components of the distribution equipment, including poles, lines, transformers, and service lines, the proposed index makes it possible to quantitatively differentiate the seismic damage level of every distribution pole. Using the records of seismic damage caused by the 2007 Niigata-ken Chuetsu-oki earthquake, the estimation accuracy of the proposed index is compared to that of existing damage indices. It is shown that the proposed index is more suitable than existing indices for equipment damage estimation. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn, 95(9): 17-26, 2012; Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI 10.1002/ecj.11400 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]