PAPERPERSENTATION ON EARTHQUAKE RESISTANCE BUILDINGS

EARTHQUAKE RESISTANCE

ABSTRACT
Earthquake is a natural phenomenon that can be a huge threat for any building
that is not designed and constructed properly to withstand it. It causes thousands
of lives to be lost and huge amounts of property damages in the world every
year. However, engineers do their best to make sure the building will stand up
long enough for the occupants to get out to safety.

From a simplistic standpoint, an earthquake places a sideways load on a

building. So, in addition to making a building (or bridge or any other structure)
capable of holding up forces from gravity caused by the weight of the structure
and its contents, an earthquake resistant structure can withstand a considerable
sideways force.

HOW DO YOU MAKE A EARTHQUAKE PROOF BUILDING?

It is impossible to make a building earthquake proof. The very strongest

earthquake will severely damage even a best engineered building. However,
engineers do their best to make sure the building will stand up long enough for
the occupants to get out safely.

EARTHQUAKE DAMAGES ON BUILDING

As earthquake cannot be predicted, it is essential to design and construct the

building to withstand the seismic loading in earthquake areas. For that purpose,
it is important to sufficiently understand seismic activity, dynamic effect and
related building response. The response of a building against an earthquake
vibration is an important structural aspect which directly affects the structural
resistance and consequently the hazard level.

BRINDAVAN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING BANGLORE-63

 PAPERPERSENTATION ON EARTHQUAKE RESISTANCE BUILDINGS

To design an Earthquake resistant steel building, engineers can choose different

methods and structural components to withstand lateral loads.

EARTHQUAKE FACTS

Richter Scale Measurements Effects

2.5 or less Detected only by
seismographs
2.5 - 5.4 Often felt,but causes minor
damages
5.5 - 6.0 Slight damage to buildings
and other structures
6.1 – 6.9 Causes lot of damage in
highly populated areas
7.0 – 7.9 Major earthquakes, serious
damage
8.9 greater Totally destroys communities
near epicenter

STRUCTURAL DAMAGE CAUSED BY EARTHQUAKE

Construction on soft or filled in soil suffer the most because they feel shock
ways most directly. Buildings on bedrock suffer less damage because the
ground is firm. The extent of damage depends on what areas are hit i.e., if

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unpopulated region is struck loss of property and life is less and if big city is
struck injury and destruction will be more.

It is interesting to know that tall buildings will sustain least damage, if

they are located directly at the epicenter because they can withstand the up and
down motion of the waves. Whereas the buildings far away from the epicenter
shake sideways sustain more damage. Major structural damage can result,
particularly where floor level differ.

GROUND BEHAVIOUR AND FOUNDATIONS

The violent shaking of the ground temporarily increases the lateral and vertical
forces disturbing the intergranuler stability of non-cohesive soils and imposing
strains directly on the surface material where the fault plane reaches the ground.

Geotechnical factors have been responsible for considerable damage to

structures and construction facilities in past earthquake. Geotechnical
earthquake engineering problems can be classified into two categories

1) Response problems

2) Failure problems

BRINDAVAN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING BANGLORE-63

 PAPERPERSENTATION ON EARTHQUAKE RESISTANCE BUILDINGS

Response problems: This involves the effects of geomaterials on the

amplitude, frequency content and duration earthquake ground motion. Little
or temporary soil deformation is involved.

Failure problems: This involves permanent deformation of soil masses,

generally through long term accidents of soil shearing resistance.

Earthquake-Proof Wood House Survives 7.5 Magnitude

Quake

So far, researchers have seen promising results: During a July 14th test at
Japan’s Hyogo Earthquake Engineering Research Center, researchers used an E-
Defense shake table, the largest shake table in the world, to simulate an
earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale. The seven-story, million-pound
wood condominium that was placed on the table remained standing, only
suffering some minor cosmetic damage.Researchers say that to get the building
to withstand a whole lotta shaking, they changed the condo’s nail distribution to
better distribute stiffness among the different floors, taking into account changes
in structural pressure that occurduring an earthquake. Designers also used 63
anchor tie-down systems from Simpson Strong Tie, steel rods that run from the
foundation to the roof and prevent the building from rocking.

While many designers have looked at expensive, complicated building materials

like flexible concrete and metal alloys to create quake-proof structures, this is
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the only experiment to use buildings crafted from wood. It’s important to
optimize this particular building material because wood is both inexpensive and
sustainable, meaning it can be used in all parts of the world, even
in impoverished nations.While researchers are quick to label quake-proof wood
as sustainable, the extent of the wooden buildings’ eco features are unclear (for
example, if they aim to use reclaimed or FSC-certified wood, or if they
incorporate other eco-friendly building materials). But based on these early
rounds of testing, one thing is certainly clear: earthquake-proof wooden
structures are bound to really shake up the design world. Earthquake-Proof
Wood House Survives 7.5 Magnitude Quake Will Save the World

World’s largest earthquake-proof SabihaGökçen International

Airport

Istanbul’s brand new SabihaGökçen International Airport airport terminal

opened on October 31st of this year and is now the world’s largest earthquake-
proof building. Named after the world’s first woman combat pilot, the new 2
million square-foot structure is capable of not only withstanding a magnitude
8.0 earthquake – it’s also designed to remain completely operational
afterwards. This is all due to new seismic building technology and advanced
computer simulations that are able to predict how a building will react in order
to keep it safe.

BRINDAVAN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING BANGLORE-63

 PAPERPERSENTATION ON EARTHQUAKE RESISTANCE BUILDINGS

Perfect earthquake proof construction and shock proof bearings are

used in foundation to resist the earthquake of magnitude 8 as shown in
fig above

Elastic Iron Alloy could be used to

Make Earthquake-Proof Buildings

In light of the world’s recent earthquakes, finding a quake-proof building

material is a top priority. A group of Japanese researchers are answering the call.
They’ve developed a super elastic iron alloy that maintains its original shape
even after serious stretching. Once optimized, scientists think the material can
be used in everything from medical stents to braces to buildings.

Researchers from Japan’s Tohoku University designed the “shape memory”

metal alloy. Because the iron alloy can be stretched greatly, designers think the
substance could be used as a construction material for buildings in earthquake
zones. As the tremors hit, buildings could rock with the earth’s movements, yet
still return to their original structures.

Conclusion:

The buildings must be designed to resist earthquake forces especially in places

where earthquake occur frequently. By providing earthquake design buildings
can withstand 80% of the earthquake forces.

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