Seismic Performance of Non-Structural Components: Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the 1976 Tangshan Earthquake (1976-2026)

Introduction:

On July 28, 1976, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Tangshan, China, resulting in approximately 

240,000 fatalities and causing severe damage to the city. The Tangshan earthquake and its subsequent reconstruction efforts significantly advanced public awareness of seismic safety in buildings, promoted research on seismic performance of building structures, and contributed to the development of seismic design codes.

Nearly 50 years on now, performance-based earthquake engineering demands more than just “collapse prevention” for buildings — it requires ensuring that buildings maintain functionality after an earthquake or can be quickly restored to service. In this context, non-structural components play a crucial role.

Non-structural components include partition walls, suspended ceilings, exterior cladding, curtain walls, piping systems, mechanical and electrical equipment, furniture, and interior items. In modern buildings, functions such as spatial enclosure, vertical and horizontal circulation, lighting, water supply and drainage, heating, ventilation, and communications rely on various non-structural components. Moreover, non-structural components account for a significant portion of a building’s total cost. Earthquake damage over the past two decades has shown that, compared to primary structural systems, non-structural components are often more vulnerable to damage, leading to substantial economic losses and severe functional disruptions.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Tangshan earthquake and to highlight cutting‑edge advances in performance‑based earthquake engineering, Earthquake Research Advances has partnered with Dr. Qu Zhe from the Institute of Engineering Mechanics, China Earthquake Administration, and Dr. Cao Yuteng from Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology to launch a special issue on “Seismic Performance of Non-Structural Components”.

The special issue aims to present the latest research findings in theory, experimentation, numerical modeling, and engineering practice, with the goal of advancing performance‑based design, reliability assessment and seismic retrofit strategies for non-structural components.

Topics covered:

• Seismic performance and vulnerability assessment of non-structural components
• Design methods for improving the seismic resilience of non-structural components
• Experimental evaluation of the seismic performance of non-structural components
• Strengthening and retrofit techniques for non-structural components
• Seismic isolation and energy‑dissipation technologies for non-structural components
• Seismic risk assessment and loss estimation for non-structural components
• Seismic codes, standards, and guidelines for non-structural components
• Case studies and experimental investigations related to seismic protection of non-structural components
• Modeling and simulation techniques for non-structural components
• Application of artificial intelligence in the seismic performance assessment of non-structural components

Submission Instructions:

In preparing manuscripts, authors must carefully follow the ERA Author Guidelines before submitting. All articles should be submitted via the ERA Online submission system under the Special Issue category.

Important Deadlines: Submission deadline: 30 April 2026

Guest Editors:

• Prof. Zhe Qu, Institute of Engineering Mechanics, China Earthquake Administration, China. Email: quz@iem.ac.cn
• Dr. Yuteng Cao, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, China. Email: cyt_hustiem@xauat.edu.cn