Lecture Overview
This lecture, “Seven key principles of seismic design for architects and engineers”, outlines seven basic earthquake engineering concepts that should be incorporated into all buildings designed for seismically-active regions.
These concepts, which need to be applied especially at the conceptual and preliminary design stages of buildings, are appropriate for all building types, from simple houses to multi-storey construction.
While the application of these principles is vital at the preliminary design stage, other principles must also be followed during the detailed design and construction phases of a project to ensure satisfactory seismic performance.
For example, without high quality assurance standards in the engineering design office and on the building site, achievement of seismic resilience is unlikely and any sophisticated analytical effort is probably wasted.
Time does not allow the elaboration of these other principles.
Seven Key Principles
① Provide seismic resisting structure in plan in two directions at right angles
During an earthquake the ground moves in all directions in a random manner.
In order to provide strength for earthquake attack from any horizontal direction, strength is needed in two directions which are at right angles in plan.
② In each direction in plan, provide a minimum of two lines of separated structure
The purpose of this principle is to limit the degree to which an earthquake-affected building twists in plan.
Buildings are rarely completely symmetrical in plan and are prone to structural damage from torsion.
By adopting this principle, even in a severe earthquake which may exceed a building’s horizontal strength in one direction, serious uncontrolled torsion is prevented.
critically assess software outputs encountered in professional practice from first principles.
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