Program: Collaborative Research Program for Alumni (CRA)
Field: Natural Disaster
Principal Investigator: Dr. Lau Tze Liang
Sending University: Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)
Japanese Co-Investigator: Prof. Dr. Tetsuya HIRAISHI
Japanese University: Kyoto University
Year: 2013
Abstract:
The unprecedented 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, which had claimed more than 230,000 lives, has changed the mindset of Malaysian on disaster management. In terms of lost of lives and damage of properties, there were 68 dead, 6 missing, 300 injured, 1535 homes and 1332 boats damaged. Prior to this event, there is no trace of past event that can be found due to the lack of historical documentation. This has caused difficulty to scientist to predict the probable source of tsunami and its associated impact. This project has achieved its objectives of exploring the potential solution for improving the existing design of building, investigating the effect of seawall to reduce the impact of tsunami on coastal structures and developing a numerical program for wave propagation over dry-land. From the physical experiment, the wave forces and pressure distribution for front and back faces of building are measured for both non-elevated and elevated floor slab buildings. The numerical model based on the VSIAM3 could reproduce the phenomenon of tsunami propagation satisfactorily. Broader networking with other institutions Enhance research capacity and human capital development The findings could be used as a guidance for designing structures subjected to tsunami loading.