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CODE SIMPLE
.3
1615.1.3 Design spectral response
1
acceleration parameters
.
By S. K. Ghosh, Ph.D., and Susan Dowty, S.E.
Within the International Code
5
Council’s 2003 International Building
Code (IBC), the five-percent damped
design spectral response accelerations at
short periods, SDS, and at 1-second
1
period, SD1, are used to determine the
seismic design base shear. These param-
eters, which are a function of the site’s
seismicity and soil, are also used as parts
of triggers for other code requirements.
6
There are four steps involved in deter-
mining the value of SDS and SD1. They
are as follows:
Step 1: Determine the mapped maxi-
1
mum considered earthquake spectral
response accelerations at short periods,
SS, and 1-second period, S1. These values
can be determined either by using the
2003 IBC Figures 1615(1) through
1615(10) or by using the Seismic Design
Parameters Version 3.10 CD-ROM,
which also is published by the ICC.
Step 2: Determine the site’s soil clas-
sification in accordance with IBC
Section 1615.1.1.
Step 3: Determine the site coeffi-
cients Fa and Fv using IBC Tables
1615.1.2 (1) and 1615.1.2(2). Fa is a
function of the site’s soil classification
and SS. And, Fv is a function of the site’s
soil classification and S1.
Step 4: Calculate SDS = (2/3)(Fa)(SS)
and SD1 = (2/3)(Fv)(S1).
Answers to FAQ’s:
Q: 2003 IBC Figures 1615(1)
through 1615(10) provide mapping
values for the maximum considered
earthquake ground motion. What does
maximum considered earthquake (MCE)
mean? Can a Richter magnitude be
associated with the MCE?
A: In coastal California, the MCE is
the largest earthquake that can be deliv-
ered by the known seismic sources — it
is also referred to as the deterministic
earthquake. Elsewhere in the country,
the MCE is an earthquake that is
expected to occur once in approximately
14 Structural Engineer June 2005
2,500 years, which has a 2-percent prob-
ability of exceedance in 50 years.
No, a Richter magnitude cannot be
associated with the MCE. The Richter
magnitude provides a measure of the
energy released at the source of an
earthquake. The mapped values, on the
other hand, are indicative of the inten-
sity of earthquake ground motions
expected at a site and are associated
with the probability indicated above.
They depend on the estimated energy
released at source (magnitude) consid-
ering known seismic sources that may
cause earthquake ground motions at the
site, the source-to-site transmission
path (including, very importantly, the
distance from source to site), and the
site soil characteristics.
Q: I understand that the mapped
spectral response accelerations SS and S1
relate to the MCE, which has a
2-percent probability of being exceeded
in 50 years. Also, I understand that the
mapped spectral response accelerations
need to be adjusted for site class effects.
However, I don’t understand the extra
step of multiplying by 2/3, as prescribed
in 2003 IBC Section 1615.1.3. What
earthquake are we designing for when
we do this? Does it still represent the 2
percent in 50-year earthquake? (This
question and the following response is
reprinted with permission from the 2003
IBC Structural Q&A Application Guide.)
A: You are still designing for an
earthquake with the 2-percent probabil-
ity of being exceeded in 50 years. It’s just
that you are designing for collapse
prevention in this earthquake, rather
than life safety. The 2/3 factor reduces
the mapped spectral response accelera-
tions to correspond to a collapse preven-
tion goal by offsetting the factor of
safety of 1.5 which is consistent with the
life-safety goal and is inherent in the R
factor. (Refer to the sidebar for term
definitions and more explanations.)
Collapse prevention
versus life safety
The Federal Emergency Management
Agency defines collapse prevention and
life safety within The National Earthquake
Hazards Reduction Program’s Guidelines
for the Seismic Rehabilitation of Buildings.
Collapse prevention: The building
remains standing, but only barely; any
other damage or loss is acceptable.
Life safety: The structure remains
stable and has significant reserve capac-
ity; hazardous nonstructural damage is
controlled.
Why are the spectral response accel-
erations corresponding to the MCE multi-
plied by 2/3? In prior building codes, the
intent was to design structures for life
safety in an earthquake with a 10-percent
probability of being exceeded in 50 years
(also referred to as the 500-year event).
However, with the development of the
new spectral response acceleration
maps, it was recognized that this design
basis was not adequate for the infre-
quent, but very large earthquake events
that could occur in the eastern United
States. Therefore the design philosophy
changed so that structures were
designed for collapse prevention in an
earthquake with the 2-percent probability
of being exceeded in 50 years (2,500-
year event), except for portions of
California, where the seismic sources are
better known.
The switch from the 500-year event to
the 2,500-year event was incorporated
into the new seismic maps. However, the
R coefficients used in the base shear
formula are based on the life safety goal.
Rather than revising the R values, the
code writers opted to reduce mapped
spectral response accelerations by the
factor of safety of 1.5, which explains the
2/3 factor (2/3 is the reciprocal of 1.5).
S.K. Ghosh Associates, Inc., is a struc-
tural, seismic, and code consulting firm
located in Palatine, Ill. and Laguna
Niguel, Calif. President S.K. Ghosh,
Ph.D., and Susan Dowty, S.E., are active
in the development and interpretation of
national structural code provisions. They
can be contacted at skghosh@aol.com
and dowtyskga@cox.net, respectively.
www.GoStructural.com