Berivan Yılmazer Polat

Located at the intersection of the Yedisu Segment, a seismic gap, and the active Ovacık Fault, the Tunceli-Ovacık district is a region with a high earthquake risk but an unclear level of structural fragility. This study aims to assess the seismic safety of the rural building stock located in a seismically critical area. To this end, the Turkish Rapid Visual Screening (RVS), based on local parameters, and the Canadian Seismic Survey Method, widely used in international literature, were applied to determine the current condition of the buildings; the earthquake risk of the region was analyzed based on the results obtained. Furthermore, similarities and differences between the methods were comparatively examined to ensure scientific integrity. Within the scope of the study, 209 buildings representing the building typology in the region, 88% of which are masonry-mixed systems, were analyzed using both rapid assessment algorithms. While the overall risk distribution ratios were similar, building-level matching analyses showed a medium level of agreement between the methods. This indicates that the local and universal methods, rather than definitively verifying each other, provide complementary data by focusing on different parameters in the seismic assessment of the rural building stock. This study demonstrates that an integrated risk mapping approach, where different methodologies complement each other, can offer a rapid and reliable decision support mechanism for urban transformation strategies in cities with high earthquake risk, such as Tunceli.

This study, which was conducted in the Pülümür district of Tunceli, was carried out in an area with high seismic risk due to the region's proximity to the Bingöl-Yedisu Fault. In the study, the earthquake safety of the existing building stock was assessed using visual inspection methods. In this context, 172 buildings in the Pülümür district of Tunceli province were examined in detail in terms of earthquake safety using the Canadian Seismic Screening Method. In the analyses, seismic safety levels of the buildings, structural and nonstructural risks were taken into consideration and seismic priority indexes (SPI) were determined. The results of the study revealed that a large portion of buildings in the Pülümür district carry different levels of risk of earthquake. Specifically, the evaluated building stock was entirely constructed before the critical year of 2007 and exhibits high seismic vulnerability. This critical threshold is technically attributed to two main regional factors: the design practices predating the 2007 Turkish Earthquake Code and the absence of ready-mixed concrete technology in Tunceli province prior to that year. Furthermore, based on the method’s classification, it is suggested that buildings with a Seismic Priority Index (SPI) greater than 20, which indicates "High" to "Very Hazardous" risk levels, should be prioritized for detailed assessment and retrofitting, and that local governments should develop incentive policies for these mitigation efforts.

Geopolymer concrete (GC), also known as green concrete, contains slag, silica fume, and fly ash as binders. The absence of cement in concrete is critical to protect the world from the environmental impacts of cement production. In addition, exposure to high temperatures is a critical parameter that causes loss of strength in concrete. In this study, Geopolymer concrete samples were prepared with 10 different samples containing different proportions of slag, silica fume, and porous ash and subjected to various physical, mechanical, and optical tests. The sample (GS90) with optimum workability and compressive strength, which also showed high performance in water absorption, freeze-thaw, and UPV tests, was used in high-temperature tests. Portland cement concrete (PCC) was used as a control sample. This study investigated the effect of high temperatures on the physical and mechanical properties of fiber-free GCs containing 2%, 5%, and 10% by volume of ceramic fibers. Therefore, fiber-reinforced, fiber-free, and PCC specimens were subjected to high-temperature tests at 100, 300, 600, and 900 °C. As a result of the observation of crack growth, color changes, and compressive strength parameters in the samples subjected to high-temperature tests, the thermal resistance of the 10% ceramic fiber geopolymer concrete sample was 2.5% higher than other samples. There is no study in the literature that examines the behavior of ceramic fiber-reinforced geopolymer concrete at high temperatures. This research revealed an important finding by proving that ceramic fiber reinforcement increases the compressive strength of geopolymer concretes at a remarkable rate after high-temperature impact.

Researchers have been working to find alternatives to conventionally produced concrete in recent years. Geopolymer concretes are also the focus of these studies. There are not enough studies on modelling geopolymer concretes, which are the subject of many experimental studies. In this study, which is believed to close the gap in the literature, stress and strain analyses of geopolymer concrete with two different properties under load in two different systems were performed. The locations of the concrete with different properties were also changed in the model, and the results obtained in both cases were compared. It was observed that when the geopolymer concrete with a lower modulus of elasticity and 100% slag content was on top, the stress values decreased, and the strain rates increased.

Geopolymer concretes a substitute for traditional Portland cement as a more environmentally sustainable alternative. In addition, one of the most significant advantages of geopolymer concrete is the high setting speed that can be achieved with thermal curing, that is, the short curing period. Research on geopolymer concrete has focused on curing, where curing is usually done with conventional ovens. Microwave curing initiates heat generation at the molecular level, which results in a minimal heat increase on the surface of the specimens compared to traditional thermal curing methods. In addition, it provides internal, rapid, and homogeneous heating and rapid strength development. This study is based on research that examined the effect of microwave cure on the compressive strength of silica füme-modified geopolymer mortar. In the study, sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide were used for activation, and first of all, fly ash substituted geopolymer mortar specimens were subjected to conventional thermal curing in an oven. On the other hand, the mortar specimens with the same composition were subjected to short-duration (10 minutes) microwave curing at power levels of between 200-600 W. When the results were compared regarding compressive strength, void and percent water absorption, UPV, and SEM-internal structure examination, it was revealed that microwave curing could be used faster than the conventional oven curing method in silica füme-added fly ash-based geopolymer mortars. This research can be considered an essential step for further optimizing and popularising geopolymer concrete and microwave curing and proposes a method that should be considered in the future development of more sustainable construction materials.

Occupational cause socioeconomic lossesin Turkey as in all the world. In our country, there are many losses especiallyin the field of construction. Therefore, various studies are made in this scopeand the regulations are brought in to force. However, in can be seen from theof fatal occupational accedents that measures taken in recent years are notenough. Especially, since June 2003, when the Labor Act. No. 4857 brought in toforce. Occupational security in the western religion of Turkey has been relativelydisciplined. However, the situation is still the same in the eastern region.Occupational safety has not taken its place in social culture as a content.This causes occupational accidents to be experienced intensively in thisregion.