June 2008 © Dr Ashok K.

Jain

Analysis of Buildings for Earthquake Force

Based on Lectures delivered to

Post graduate Students of IIT Roorkee during the past several years

by

Dr. Ashok K. Jain

Professor

[No part of this publication may be reprinted, or reproduced or utilized in any form
or by any electronic, mechanical or any means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage and retrieval
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author.]

JUNE 2008
DEPARMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ROORKEE
ROORKEE, INDIA

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June 2008 © Dr Ashok K. Jain

Analysis of Buildings for Earthquake Force

by
Dr. Ashok K. Jain, Professor of Civil Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee
Roorkee India

INTRODUCTION

A force is defined as the product of mass and acceleration. During an earthquake, the
mass is imparted by the building whereas the acceleration is imparted by the ground
disturbance. In order to have a minimum force, the mass of the building should be as low
as possible. There can be no control on the ground acceleration being an act of God! The
point of application of this inertial force is the centre of gravity of the mass on each floor
of the building. Once there is a force, there has to be an equal and opposite reaction to
balance this force. The inertial force is resisted by the building and the resisting force acts
at the centre of rigidity at each floor of the building or shear centre of the building at each
storey.

The return period of an earthquake in a given region depends up on its seismicity. An

earthquake may be classified in to one of the three general categories :

(a) Minor earthquake - it may occur frequently, say , every 5 to 10 years

(b) Moderate earthquake - it may occur , say, every 20 to 30 years
(c) Severe earthquake - it may occur once in a life time of the building, say, once in 75 to
100 years

Depending upon the probability of occurrence of an earthquake in a given region, it is

desirable to design the building for a lesser force and allow the building to undergo
inelastic deformations. The intention is to design an economical structure. There are two
methods to determine the earthquake force in a building:

(a) Seismic coefficient method or static method

(b) Response spectrum method or modal analysis method or spectral acceleration method
or dynamic method

The seismic coefficient method is generally applicable to buildings up to 40 m in height

and those are more or less symmetrical in plan and elevation.

Response Spectrum

The representation of the maximum response of idealized single degree of freedom

systems having certain period of vibration and damping during a given earthquake is
referred to as a response spectrum. The maximum response, that is, maximum absolute
acceleration, maximum relative velocity or maximum relative displacement of the single

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degree of freedom system is plotted against the undamped natural period and for various
damping values.

The dynamic analysis can be performed using the design spectrum given in Fig. 1 for
three different types of soils : hard, medium and soft. This is based on strong motion
records of eight Indian earthquakes : Himachal Pradesh April 26, 1986 and March 24,
1995 earthquakes, UP Hills October 20, 1991 and March 26, 1996 earthquakes, N.E.
India September 10, 1986, May 19, 1987, February 6, 1988 and August 6, 1988,
earthquakes. The average shape of the response spectra was arrived at from an ensemble
of total of 92 records (46 sites x 2 components) for rocky sites and 114 records (57 sites x
2 components) for stiff soil. The mean spectra so obtained in smoothened for
convenience of use in design. In the IS:1893-2002 code, an elastic response spectra has
been proposed for the Maximum Considered (Credible) Earthquake (MCE) condition.
This elastic response spectra is divided by a factor 2 to first get a Design Basis
Earthquake (DBE) spectra and again by a factor R to get an inelastic response spectra.
The intention is to let the designer know about the whole scenario of the elastic and
inelastic response spectra and also to know the so called factors of safety.

Maximum Considered (Credible) Earthquake (MCE) - It is the largest reasonable

conceived earthquake that appears possible along a recognized fault or within a
geographically defined tectonic province, under the presently known or presumed
tectonic framework. The MCE is an upper bound of the expected earthquake in a given
area. It has a 10% probability of exceedence in 100 years.

Design Basis Earthquake (DBE) - It is that earthquake which has a 10% probability of
exceedence in 50 years. It can reasonably be expected to occur at least once during the
design life of the structure. It is assumed to be ½ of the MCE.

Modeling of a Building

A building may be modeled as a series of 2D plane frames in two orthogonal directions.

In each plane frame, masses may be lumped at the floor levels, with each mass having
one degree of freedom, that of lateral displacement in the direction under consideration.
Alternatively, a building may be modeled as a 3D space frame with each floor having
three degrees of freedom, two orthogonal translations and one rotation, all in the
horizontal plane.

Base Shear

The base shear is given by the following equation :

Vb = αh W (1a)

αh = (Z/2)(I/R)(Sa/g) (1b)

where Z = zone factor for MCE condition

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I = importance factor
R = response reduction factor
Sa = spectral acceleration depending upon the period of vibration and damping
g = acceleration due to gravity
W = seismic weight

The seismic weight includes the dead weight of the building and reduced live load.

The fundamental time period of a moment resistant RC building may be determined by

the following empirical relation:

T = 0.075 H0.75 (2a)

where, T = fundamental period of the building (in first mode) in seconds

H = height of the building in meter

The fundamental time period of a RC framed building with in-fill walls or shear walls
may be determined by the following empirical relation:

0.09 H
T= (2b)
D
Where, D = depth of building in meter in the direction of the earthquake force.

The fundamental period of vibration of a structure can also be determined using the
Rayleigh method.

∑w x i
2
i
T=2 π i =1
n
(3)
g ∑ Fi x i
i =1

where,

xi = elastic horizontal displacements at i-th level due to lateral forces Fi ignoring

the effect of torsion.
wi = weight at the i-th floor

Seismic Coefficient Method

Horizontal Distribution of Shear

The design storey shear in any storey is distributed to the various elements of the
vertical lateral force resisting system in proportion to their rigidities, considering the
rigidity of the diaphragm.

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Vertical Distribution of Shear

w i h i2
Qi = n
Vb (4)
∑w h
j=1
j
2
j

where, hi = height of i-th floor measured from base

Response Spectrum Method

2D ANALYSIS

The detailed steps for a 2D plane frame analysis are as follows :

(1) Compute lumped mass at each floor level.

(2) Carry out an undamped free vibration analysis to evaluate eigenvalues and
eigenvectors, that is, natural periods of vibration and the corresponding mode shapes
in the first 'p' modes.

Number of Modes

The number of modes to be considered in the response spectrum analysis should be

such that at least 90% of the mass of the structure gets excited in each of the principal
horizontal direction. The modal mass is given by Eq. 1

2
⎡n (r) ⎤
⎢∑ m i φ i ⎥
M(r) = ⎣ n ⎦
i =1
(5)
[ ]
∑ m i φi(r )
2

i =1

(3) Evaluate mode participation factor Cr in the rth mode :

⎡n (r) ⎤
⎢∑ m i φ i ⎥
C(r) = ⎣ n ⎦
i =1
(6)
[ ]
∑ m i φi(r )
2

i =1

where n = number of total storeys in the building

mi = mass lumped at the ith floor

φ i( r ) = mode shape coefficient at ith floor level in rth mode of vibration

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June 2008 © Dr Ashok K. Jain

(4) Evaluate α (hr ) design horizontal acceleration spectrum value in the rth mode of
vibration corresponding to the natural period of vibration in each mode.
(5) Design lateral force at each floor in each mode is given by the following equation :

Q i( r ) = α (hr ) φ i( r ) C(r) mi g (7)

(6) Storey shear in each mode is given by :

n
Vi( r ) = ∑Q
j=i +1
(r)
j (8)

(7) Modal Combinations

The peak response quantities such as storey shears, member forces and displacements
may be combined using the complete quadratic combination (CQC) method.

p p
λ= ∑∑ λ ρ λ
i =1 j=1
i ij j (9)

where
λ = peak response quantity
λi = response quantity in mode i
λj = response quantity in mode j

p = number of modes being considered ( less than or equal to i)

ρij = cross correlation coefficient

8ζ 2 (1 + β)β1.5
ρij = (10)
(1 − β 2 ) 2 + 4ζ 2 β(1 + β 2 ) 2

β = frequency ratio = ωj / ωi

ζ = modal damping ratio

Alternatively, if the modes are not closely spaced as defined earlier, the SRSS method of
mode superposition may be used.

p
λ= ∑λ
i =1
2
i (11)

λ = peak response quantity

Closely spaced modes

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June 2008 © Dr Ashok K. Jain

In order to verify which of the modes are closely spaced, the following criteria can be
applied :

ω j − ωi
≤ 0.1 also, 1 ≤ i < j ≤ p (12)
ωi

(8) Lateral force at each floor due to all modes considered is computed as follows :

Froof = Vroof (13)

and Fi = Vi - V i+1 (14)

where

Fi = lateral force at i-th floor

Vi , V i+1 = storey shears at i-th and i+1 th storeys

(9) Carry out a 2D frame analysis for dead loads, live loads and lateral forces Fi in each
mode and get the member forces for the specified load combinations. Finally, find the
response quantities of interest, that is, member forces and displacements.

(10) Check the frame for storey drift.

3D ANALYSIS

Point of Application of Earthquake Force

The static force is applied through a point eccentric to the centre of mass at each level.
The eccentricity of the applied force is given by the following equations :

ea = 1.5 e + 0.05 b (15a)

eb = e - 0.05 b (15b)
where,
ea , eb = design eccentricity

e = eccentricity between the center of rigidity and center of mass at each

floor,
or,
eccentricity between the shear center and cumulative center of mass at
each storey,

The factor 1.5 represents dynamic amplification factor while the factor 0.05 represents
the extent of accidental eccentricity. It should be remembered that this equation is

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June 2008 © Dr Ashok K. Jain

applicable even for a symmetric building where ‘e’ may be zero but accidental
eccentricity needs to be accounted for in each of the two lateral directions.

The steps for a 3D space frame analysis are as follows :

(1) Prepare the data for the entire building as a series of plane frames in both orthogonal
directions.
(2) Compute the translation mass as well as rotational mass for each floor.
(3) Determine the center of gravity of the mass on each floor.
(4) The inertial force is applied at the center of gravity of each floor. The direction of the
response spectra is specified along X or Y or Z directions, or even all the three
directions simultaneously, if required.
(5) The 3D dynamic analysis takes care of the horizontal and vertical distribution of
lateral forces on the entire building assuming the floor diaphragm is very rigid. The
equation of motion is given by the following equation:

[ M ]{ X&&} + [C ]{ X& } + [ K ]{ X } = −[ M ]{Y&&} (16)

This equation is decoupled by making use of the condition of orthogonality of modes.

It makes use of equations similar to Eqs. 5 to 8, and Eqs. 9 to 14. It should be
remembered that the earthquake force or wind force is generally applied only along one
direction X or Y at a time, and the building is designed. Now the lateral force is applied
in the other direction, and the design of the building is checked. The corner columns are
designed for bi-axial bending.

When the lateral load resisting elements are oriented along orthogonal horizontal
direction, the structure shall be designed for the effects due to full design earthquake load
in one horizontal direction at time. The various load combinations are shown in Appendix
1.

When the lateral load resisting elements are not oriented along the orthogonal
horizontal directions, the structure shall be designed for the effects due to foil design
earthquake load in one horizontal direction plus 30 percent of the design earthquake load
in the other direction. For instance:

± ELx ± 0.30 ELy or ± 0.30 ELx ± ELy (17)

When responses from the three earthquake components are to be considered, the
responses due to each component may be combined using the assumption that when the
maximum response from one component occurs, the responses from the other two
components are 30 percent of their maximum. All possible combinations of the three
components ( ELx, ELy and ELz ) including variations in sign ( plus or minus ) should be
considered, Thus, the response due earthquake force (EL ) is the maximum of the
following three cases:

± ELx ± 0.30 ELy ± 0.30 ELz

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June 2008 © Dr Ashok K. Jain

± 0.30 ELx ± ELy ± 0.30 ELz

± 0.30 ELx ± 0.30 ELy ± ELz (18)

RESPONSE REDUCTION FACTOR

The response reduction factor assigned to different types of structural systems reflects
design and construction experience, as well as the evaluation of the performance of
structures in major and moderate earthquakes. It endeavors to account for the energy-
absorption capacity of the structural system be damping and inelastic action through
several load reversals. Types of construction that have performed well in earthquakes are
assigned higher values of R. The values of R given in Table 1 recognize the following :

(1) The capability of a structure to absorb energy within acceptable deformations and
without failure is a very desirable characteristic of any earthquake resistant design.
(2) The existence of alternate load paths or redundancy of a structural system is a
desirable characteristic. It increases the locations where energy can be dissipated and
reduce the risk of collapse when individual members should fail or become severely
damaged.
(3) The R values for structural systems need to reflect the degree of continuity and
ductility provided. A building with a value of R equal to 1.0 corresponds to a
structural system exhibiting little or no ductility. The minimum design and detailing
requirements are given in IS:456-2000 and IS:13920-1993. A building designed with
a value R greater than 1.0 is presumed to be capable of undergoing inelastic cyclic
deformations. Members and connections in such systems must therefore be detailed to
accommodate these deformations in a ductile manner.
(4) Buildings are normally endowed with a multiplicity of non-structural elements and
resisting elements not considered in the analysis. Furthermore, buildings generally
have higher damping values during large amplitude vibrations than do mere skeleton
structures.

(5) In choosing the structural system for a building, large dissimilarities in the stiffness
and ductility characteristics of framing systems in the orthogonal directions should be
avoided. For example, a moment resisting ductile frame in one direction and
reinforced masonry wall in the other direction would be unsuitable, whereas RC
ductile flexural walls and RC walls with nominal ductility in orthogonal directions
would be acceptable. The reason for this recommendation is that seismic
displacements induced in flexible framing systems would probably cause failure in
the relatively brittle and weak directions of the elements that resist the load in
orthogonal directions.

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TABLE 1 RESPONSE REDUCTION FACTOR R

S. Lateral Load Resisting System R

No.
Framed Building
1 RCC Moment Resisting Frame - Ordinary 3
2 RCC Moment Resisting Frame - Special, 5
that is, with Ductile Detailing
3 Steel Frame with
(a) Concentric Braces 4
(b) Eccentric Braces 5
4 Steel Moment Resisting Frame with Ductile 5
Detailing
Building with Flexural (Shear) walls
5 Load Bearing Masonry Wall Building
(a) Unreinforced 1.5
(b) Reinforced with horizontal bands 2.5
(c) Reinforced with both vertical steel and 3
horizontal bands
6 RC Flexural Wall - ordinary 3
7 RC Flexural Wall - ductile 4
Dual System
8 Ordinary Flexural wall with Ordinary MR 3
Frame
9 Ordinary Flexural wall with Ductile MR 4
Frame
10 Ductile Flexural wall with Ordinary MR 4.5
Frame
11 Ductile wall with Ductile MR Frame 5

BUILDING ON STILTS

The building on soft storey or on stilts needs special precaution in order to avoid the formation
of sway mechanism and, therefore, collapse. The following design criteria are to be adopted after
carrying out the earthquake analysis, neglecting the effect of infill walls in other storeys:

a) the columns and beams of the soft storey are to be designed for 2.5 times the storey
shears and moments calculated under seismic loads specified in the other relevant
clause,

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June 2008 © Dr Ashok K. Jain

OR

b) besides the columns designed and detailed for the calculated storey shears and
moments, shear walls placed symmetrically in both directions of the building as far away
from the centre of the building as feasible; to be designed exclusively for 1.5 times the
lateral storey shear force calculated as before.

DEFLECTION AND SEPARATION OF BUILDINGS

(1) Lateral deflection of a structure should be calculated in accordance with accepted

practice and based on the loads and requirements given in the code.
(2) Lateral deflections obtained from an elastic analysis should be multiplied with R to
give realistic values of the anticipated deflections.
(3) All portions of the structure should be designed to act as integral units in resisting
horizontal forces, unless separated by adequate clearances which permit horizontal
deflections of the structure consistent with values of deflections calculated according
to above clause.
(4) The non-structural components should be designed so as not to transfer to the
structural system any forces unaccounted for in the design. Any interaction of the
rigid elements such as walls and the structural system should be designed so that the
capacity of the structural system is not impaired by the action or failure of the rigid
elements.

(5) Adjacent structures should either be separated by the sum of their individual
deflections as calculated in clause (2), or should be connected to each other.

(6) The method of connection in clause (5) above should take into account the mass,
stiffness, strength, ductility and anticipated motion of the connected building and the
character of the connection.

(7) The connected buildings in clause (6) should be assumed to have the lowest R value
of the building connected, unless the use of a higher value can be justified by rational
analysis.

ANALYSIS FOR TORSION

The analysis for torsion may be carried out either statically or dynamically. The
detailed method of analysis for 2D as well as 3D is discussed in a paper by Satish
Annigeri and A. K. Jain (1994). Through amendment no. 1 of January 2005, BIS has
modified clause 7.9.2. It says that if 3D dynamic analysis is carried out, then the
amplification factor 1.5 in Eq. 5a may be taken as 1.0. In the torsion analysis, the major
handicap is to determine center of rigidity, and therefore, eccentricity. This amendment
has been done in order to avoid the computation of static eccentricity (es).

Clause 7.9.3 of IS:1893 says as follows:

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June 2008 © Dr Ashok K. Jain

“In case of highly irregular buildings analyzed according to 7.8.4.5, additive

shears will be superimposed for a statically applied eccentricity of +/- 0.05b
with respect to the center of rigidity.”

There are two mistakes in the above clause:

(i) Clause 7.8.4.5 refers to a 2D dynamic analysis for a building having a one degree
of freedom per floor, whereas, the intention of the clause 7.9.3 is to carry out a 3D
dynamic analysis. The amendment no. 1 dated Jan 2005, it is clearly states that a
3D dynamic analysis should be carried out in order to use an amplification factor
of 1.0.
(ii) The other mistake is the reference for the eccentricity. It should be with respect to
the center of mass rather than centre of rigidity.

The Canadian NBCC 1995 code states as follows:

The effects of accidental torques shall be added to the effects of a 3D dynamic

analysis where the accidental torque is +/- 0.10bx Fx where Fx is the lateral floor
force at each level given by static analysis.

There are two methods to account for Accidental Eccentricity:

1. Dynamic analysis for accidental eccentricity

The mass is shifted by +/- 0.05b on either side of the C.M., dynamic analyses are
carried out, and the envelope is taken of the three dynamic analyses. – The
problem arises as the “sign” is lost in mode superposition.
2. Static analysis for accidental eccentricity

The second method is preferred. It is recommended that the torsion analysis should be
carried out using clause 7.9.3 corrected as proposed where the accidental torsion analysis
is carried out statically and the results are superimposed on those obtained by 3D
dynamic analysis without torsion. The various load combinations are shown in Appendix
1. Load cases 3 to 14 are with earthquake loads but without torsion. The torsion load
case, in fact, ought to be considered as part of the earthquake loads EQX and EQZ in the
two orthogonal lateral directions. Here it is shown separately because it is static torsion
due to accidental factors and needs to be combined with the other dynamic loads.

SOIL STRUCTURE INTERACTION

The soil-structure interaction is important if the soil is "soft". In the case of hard soils,
the interaction can be safely ignored.

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COMPUTER AIDED ANALYSIS

A 3D analysis of buildings can be carried out either using Bentley STAAD PRO
software or CSI, Berkeley ETABS software. It is strongly recommended that the User
must fully understand the implications of using various commands / options in each of
these two very powerful software. The results must be very carefully analyzed and
verified so as to avoid any unpleasant situation. Remember that there is nothing known as
“obvious” or “understood” in the software. It is the responsibility of the User to fully
understand the implications of using a given command and judiciously make use of it.

Envelope of Results

Almost all software offer envelope of member forces for various load combinations.
The values of maximum bending moment, shear force and axial forces etc. are listed for
each member. Some designers pick up maximum bending moment as well as maximum
axial force from the envelope for the design of columns. This is incorrect. One has to pick
up maximum axial force and the corresponding bending moment, and also maximum
bending moment and the corresponding axial force. Each column should be designed for
both these combinations.

Fig. 1 Elastic response spectra IS:1893-2002

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REFERENCES

IS:1893-2002, Criteria for Earthquake Resistant Design of Structures, Part 1 - General

Provisions and Buildings, Bureau of Indian Standards, New Delhi.

Annigeri, S. and Jain, A.K. (1994) Torsional Provisions for Asymmetrical Multistorey
Buildings in IS:1893., Int. J. of Structures, Vol. 14, no. 2, Dec, pp. 115-142.

Chopra, A. K. (2001) Dynamics of Structures, 2nd ed., Pearson Education (Singapore),

New Delhi.

Clough, R.W. and Penzien, J. (1990), Dynamics of Structures, 2nd ed., McGraw Hill
Book Co., NY.

Jain, A.K. (2002) Reinforced Concrete – Limit State Design, 6th ed., Nem Chand &
Bros., Roorkee

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APPENDIX 1 – LOAD COMBINATIONS AS PER IS:1893-2002 PART 1

LOAD COMB 1 DL + 0.25LL

LOAD COMB 2 1.5DL + 1.5LL

LOAD COMB 3 1.5DL + 1.5EQX

LOAD COMB 4 1.5DL – 1.5EQX

LOAD COMB 5 1.5DL + 1.5EQZ

LOAD COMB 6 1.5DL – 1.5EQZ

LOAD COMB 7 0.9DL + 1.5EQX

LOAD COMB 8 0.9DL – 1.5EQX

LOAD COMB 9 0.9DL + 1.5EQZ

LOAD COMB 10 0.9DL – 1.5EQZ

LOAD COMB 11 1.2DL + 0.3LL + 1.2EQX

LOAD COMB 12 1.2DL + 0.3LL – 1.2EQX

LOAD COMB 13 1.2DL + 0.3LL + 1.2EQZ

LOAD COMB 14 1.2DL + 0.3LL – 1.2 EQZ

LOAD COMB 15 1.5DL + 1.5EQX + TORSION

LOAD COMB 16 1.5DL + 1.5EQZ + TORSION

LOAD COMB 17 1.5DL – 1.5EQX – TORSION

LOAD COMB 18 1.5DL – 1.5EQZ – TORSION

LOAD COMB 19 0.9DL + 1.5EQX + TORSION

LOAD COMB 20 0.9DL + 1.5EQZ + TORSION

LOAD COMB 21 0.9DL – 1.5EQX – TORSION

LOAD COMB 22 0.9DL – 1.5EQZ – TORSION

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LOAD COMB 23 1.2DL + 0.3LL + 1.2EQX + TORSION

LOAD COMB 24 1.2DL + 0.3LL – 1.2EQX – TORSION

LOAD COMB 25 1.2DL + 0.3LL + 1.2EQZ + TORSION

LOAD COMB 26 1.2DL + 0.3LL – 1.2EQZ – TORSION

LOAD COMB 27 1.2DL + 0.3LL + 1.2EQX + TORSION

LOAD COMB 28 1.2DL + 0.3LL – 1.2EQX – TORSION

LOAD COMB 29 1.2DL + 0.3LL + 1.2EQZ + TORSION

LOAD COMB 30 1.2DL + 0.3LL – 1.2EQZ – TORSION

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