Ethical Dilemmas and Seismic Design

1997 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 489-504
Author(s):  
Tom Spector
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Design ◽  
Ethical Dilemmas ◽  
Building Code ◽  
Seismic Safety ◽  
Seismic Code ◽  
Ongoing Effort ◽  
Seismic Forces

Most research in the ongoing effort to improve building seismic safety has been devoted to improving building code methodology by refining the techniques of analysis and prediction of seismic forces. This agenda has left little room for the observation that how the code is regarded and interpreted by structural designers may have as much to do with overall seismic safety as do the code's written provisions. The purpose of this investigation is to look at both how the seismic code is viewed by practicing professional engineers and explore a range of ethical dilemmas entailed by interpreting the code. In conclusion, a case is made to consider interpretation of the seismic code to be an ethical, as well as technical matter; one that can be successfully addressed by a community of professionals acting together.

scholarly journals Seismic design implications of revisions to the National Building Code of Canada

2003 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 108-116
Author(s):  
A.C. Heidebrecht
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Hazard ◽  
Seismic Design ◽  
Site Effects ◽  
Major Change ◽  
Building Code ◽  
Structural Systems ◽  
Seismic Code ◽  
History Of ◽  
Force Reduction ◽  
Code Development

This paper begins with a brief introduction to Canadian seismicity and the history of seismic code development in Canada; a summary of major changes planned for the 2005 edition of the National Building Code of Canada follows. Areas of major change include seismic hazard, site effects, irregularities, force reduction factors and methods of analysis (dynamic analysis now being preferred). The implications of the proposed changes are presented in terms of impact on seismic design force for several structural systems located in regions of high, moderate and low seismicity; implications for seismic level of protection and the seismic design process are also discussed. The paper concludes with a discussion of ongoing seismic code development issues.

New Provisions for the Seismic Design of Composite and Hybrid Structures

2000 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 163-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory G. Deierlein
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Design ◽  
Composite Structures ◽  
Seismic Loading ◽  
Building Code ◽  
Design Criteria ◽  
Building Structures ◽  
Seismic Safety ◽  
Steel Reinforced Concrete ◽  
Concrete Building ◽  
Composite Steel

While there have been significant advances in the design and construction of composite steel-concrete building structures, their use in regions of high seismicity has been hindered by the lack of design criteria in building codes and specifications. This has prompted initiatives in the Building Seismic Safety Council and the American Institute of Steel Construction to develop seismic design provisions for composite structures. The 1997 edition of the AISC Seismic Provisions includes a new section with requirements for composite steel-concrete structures that are cross-referenced by the general seismic loading and design criteria in the 1997 NEHRP Provisions and the 2000 International Building Code (final draft). Intended to complement existing provisions for steel, reinforced concrete and composite structures in the AISC-LRFD Specification and the ACI 318 Building Code, these new provisions provide an important resource for seismic design of composite structural systems, members, and connections.

On calculating equivalent static seismic forces in the 2005 National Building Code of Canada

2011 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 476-481
Author(s):  
Patrick Paultre ◽  
Éric Lapointe ◽  
Sébastien Mousseau ◽  
Yannick Boivin
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Design ◽  
Lateral Force ◽  
Building Code ◽  
Force Distribution ◽  
Static Force ◽  
Building Height ◽  
Design Spectra ◽  
Earthquake Design ◽  
Seismic Forces

Several major changes were introduced in the seismic design provisions of the 2005 edition of the National Building Code of Canada (NBCC). The lateral earthquake design force at the base and the lateral force distribution along the building height depend on the design spectra and on modification factors that, in most cases, require a large number of interpolations and calculations. This note presents a spreadsheet that facilitates determination of the 2005 NBCC seismic design forces from the equivalent static force procedure.

Design Professions and Earthquake Policy

1992 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J. May ◽  
Nancy Stark
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Seismic Design ◽  
Policy Reforms ◽  
Seismic Safety ◽  
Seismic Code ◽  
Design Practices ◽  
Regulatory Strategy ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Code Provisions

This article addresses the role of the design professions in enhancing seismic safety as evidenced by interviews with design professionals in the Pacific Northwest. Key policy issues of relevance to this discussion concern the role of codes and other regulatory efforts in influencing design practices. The findings indicate seismic design practices are driven by seismic codes and related norms of “good” engineering and seismic design. Economic and liability considerations constrain practices beyond those of code provisions. As a consequence, policy reforms for seismic risk reduction are highly dependent upon seismic code revision. Variation in seismic design practice is reduced through professional educational efforts, professional licensing and registration requirements, and code enforcement. These findings serve as qualified endorsement of the current federal “limited regulatory” strategy in working with private code-setting authorities to improve seismic code provisions. The qualifications concern the disjunctive impacts of the limited regulatory strategy.

Seismic Safety Evaluation for Mountainous Highway Bridge Based on Risk Matrix

2011 ◽  
Vol 255-260 ◽  
pp. 4212-4216
Author(s):  
Gong Yuan Xie ◽  
Zhang Yue
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Design ◽  
Seismic Risk ◽  
Control Method ◽  
Safety Evaluation ◽  
Technical Support ◽  
Highway Bridge ◽  
Risk Matrix ◽  
Seismic Safety ◽  
Seismic Safety Evaluation

Risk matrix is applied to evaluate seismic risk on mountainous bridge. In this article, a continuous bridge is used as example to analyze the seismic risk of key position under a usual earthquake. Related control method is proposed to provide technical support for bridge seismic design and operation maintenance.

Evaluated Results of Seismic Design Approach Using Inelastic Dynamic Analysis for Equipment

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ichiro Tamura ◽  
Atsushi Okubo ◽  
Yusuke Minakawa ◽  
Tadashi Iijima ◽  
Yoshio Namita ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Analysis ◽  
Static Analysis ◽  
Seismic Design ◽  
Evaluation Method ◽  
Design Approach ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Seismic Safety ◽  
Inelastic Analysis ◽  
Safety Margins ◽  
Core Shroud

Abstract Securing adequate seismic safety margins has been important in safety reviews regarding the seismic design of equipment and piping systems in nuclear power plants, and there exists an increasing need for a more exact method for evaluating these margins. To this end, it is reasonable to take into account the reduction of seismic responses resulting from inelastic deformation. The authors studied this approach utilizing an elastic allowable limit in existing standard. The applicability of the proposed evaluation method was investigated by comparison with the conventional evaluation method. The proposed method consists of an inelastic dynamic analysis and an elastic-static analysis. The elastic-static analysis uses a load obtained from the inelastic dynamic analysis. For the investigation, the result obtained from the proposed method was compared with that obtained from the conventional elastic analysis to quantify the reduction in responses leading to seismic safety margins. For the comparison, the authors constructed three models that simulate a cantilever-type beam, four-legged tank, and core shroud and applied them to the analysis herein, and the applicability of our method was discussed for these models. In this paper, we present three topics. First, we present a scheme for developing the design approach of using inelastic analysis. Second, we report a sensitivity study of model parameters, such as yielding stress and second stiffness, done by analyzing the cantilever-type beam for the proposed method. Finally, we report the application of the method to the four-legged tank and core shroud.

scholarly journals Loss assessment of building and content damages from potential earthquake risk in Seoul, Korea

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wooil Choi ◽  
Jae-Woo Park ◽  
Jinhwan Kim
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Design ◽  
Korean Peninsula ◽  
Financial Stability ◽  
Building Code ◽  
Earthquake Risk ◽  
Design Code ◽  
Loss Assessment ◽  
Damage State ◽  
Damage Functions ◽  
Seismic Design Code

Abstract. After the 2016 Gyeongju earthquake and the 2017 Pohang earthquake struck the Korean peninsula, securing financial stability for earthquake risk has become an important issue in Korea. Many domestic researchers are currently studying potential earthquake risk. However, empirical analysis and statistical approach are ambiguous in the case of Korea because no major earthquake has ever occurred on the Korean peninsula since Korean Meteorological Agency started monitoring earthquakes in 1978. This study focuses on evaluating possible losses due to earthquake risk in Seoul, the capital of Korea, by using catastrophe model methodology integrated with GIS (Geographic Information System). The building information such as structure and location is taken from the building registration database and the replacement cost for building is obtained from insurance information. As the seismic design code in KBC (Korea Building Code) is similar to the seismic design code of UBC (Uniform Building Code), the damage functions provided by HAZUS-MH are used to assess the damage state of each building in event of an earthquake. 12 earthquake scenarios are evaluated considering the distribution and characteristics of active fault zones in the Korean peninsula, and damages with loss amounts are calculated for each of the scenarios.

Seismic Proving Test of Eroded Piping: Status of Eroded Piping Component and System Test

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Namita ◽  
K. Suzuki ◽  
H. Abe ◽  
I. Ichihashi ◽  
M. Shiratori ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fatigue Life ◽  
Ultimate Strength ◽  
Seismic Design ◽  
Plastic Response ◽  
Design Code ◽  
Seismic Safety ◽  
Testing Program ◽  
Safety Margins ◽  
Seismic Design Code ◽  
Piping Systems

In FY 2000, a 3-year testing program of eroded piping was initiated with the following objectives: 1) to ascertain the seismic safety margins for eroded piping designed under the current seismic design code, 2) to clarify the elasto-plastic response and ultimate strength of eroded nuclear piping. A series of tests on eroded piping components and eroded piping systems was planned. In this paper, the results of those tests are presented and analyzed, focusing on the influence of the form and the number of thinned-wall portions on the fatigue life of the piping.

Seismic Code Decisions under Risk: The Wasatch Front Illustration

1992 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-55
Author(s):  
Craig E. Taylor ◽  
Lawrence D. Reaveley ◽  
Craig W. Tillman ◽  
Allan R. Porush
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Seismic Design ◽  
Earthquake Risk ◽  
Seismic Zone ◽  
Seismic Code ◽  
Decisions Under Risk ◽  
Seismic Design Code ◽  
Moderate Seismicity ◽  
Earthquake Loss ◽  
Wasatch Front

Regions of low-to-moderate seismicity but high catastrophic earthquake loss potential pose special issues with respect to seismic design codes as well as other significant policy decisions. These seismic design code decisions hinge on the amount of initial costs and on the size and certainty of benefits from increased design requirements. Since these decisions are made by government officials, these costs and benefits are distributed among various stakeholders in the community. This paper explains this perspective and clarifies earthquake risk methods needed to address these seismic design force level decisions in the Wasatch Front, Utah and, as a point of comparison, to the City of Los Angeles. These applications strengthen the case for a seismic zone 4 designation along the Wasatch Front but also raise issues about the roles of life-safety protection and certainty of benefits in seismic code decisions.

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