Earthquake Resistant Structure Design Techniques

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Earthquake Resistant Structure Design Techniques

Techniques for designing earthquake resistant structure are an important part of the construction process. Every year, earthquakes damage hundreds of buildings and bridges. When an earthquake occurs, it is not the earthquake itself that kills citizens, it the collapse of structures during and following an earthquake.

During an earthquake, vibrations in the ground result in a corresponding movement in structures. Special techniques for designing earthquake resistant structures are built into building codes every year to help save lives and limit property damage in the event of an earthquake.

Special sensors and monitoring equipment measures the effects of an earthquake on various types of structures. This data is invaluable in understanding how earthquakes affect the stability of a structure and how builders can adjust the construction process to limit damage in an earthquake.

Earthquake prone areas of the United States include Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, New York, South Carolina, and Tennessee. However, earthquakes of smaller magnitudes can occur anywhere along a fault line.

Techniques for Designing Earthquake Resistant Structures

Many techniques for designing earthquake resistant structures are currently in use in the United States. These techniques are often built into local building codes in
earthquake-prone areas. Most techniques for designing earthquake resistant structures focus on either isolating the base of the structure, or installing energy dissipating devices within the structure. These techniques separate the structure from the shaking momentum of the ground during an earthquake.

Base isolation techniques for designing earthquake structures involve installing bearing pads between the building and its foundation. These bearing pads allow the ground to move under a building while the structure itself remains in place during an earthquake without becoming structurally instable. Lead-rubber bearings are most often used for this technique. Flexible pads and frictionless rollers are two types of base isolation techniques for designing earthquake resistant structures.

Energy dissipation devices are designed to absorb the tremors during an earthquake without transferring that energy to the structure. Seismic dampers are installed in place of a center crossbeam during construction and act as a type of hydraulic shock, similar to the shocks on a car, which absorbs the energy and movement during an earthquake.

A combination of base isolation and energy dissipation techniques for designing earthquake resistant structures is most often used in the building of new buildings in earthquake-prone areas of the United States. These techniques are designed to limit structural damage and thereby decrease the number of deaths caused by structural collapse during and following an earthquake.

Authored by: Susan This question has been viewed 1685 times so far.

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