Seismic Zoning

&
Earthquake-Resistant
Design Methods
What is Seismic Zoning?​
​
​
​
Seismic Zoning can be defined as a process by
which areas are subdivided into seismic zones
based on expected of ground motion, which is
 
expressed in terms of peak horizontal ground
acceleration (PGA) or peak ground velocity (PGV).
On the other way, seismic Zonation demarcates
equal hazard with respect to a characteristic of
strong ground shaking and of site or structural
response.
• Why seismic zonation is necessary in India?

 Seismic zonation is a process, which provided information about any

decision making for urban regional planning earthquake design in
earthquake areas.

 In principle, seismic zoning map is the main source for zoning, which
is displaying quantities related to the expected frequency and
intensity of shaking caused by earthquakes.

 The task of seismic zoning is multidisciplinary and involves the best

of inputs from geologists, geotechnical’s, seismologists, earthquake
and structural engineers.

 The rapid urbanization due to population outburst, coming up of

mega cities in potential seismic zones is the main reason for seismic
hazard in India.
 Basic Geography and Tectonic Features
 India lies at the northwestern end of the
Indo-Australian Plate, which encompasses
India, Australia, a major portion of the Indian
Ocean and other smaller countries. 

 This Plate is colliding against the huge

Eurasian Plate and going under the Eurasian
Plate. This process of one tectonic plate
getting under another is called subduction.

 A sea, Tethys, separated these plates before

they collided.

 Part of the lithosphere, the Earth’s Crust, is

covered by oceans and the rest by the
continents. The former can undergo
subduction at great depths when it
converges against another plate, but the
latter is buoyant and so tends to remain
close to the surface.

 When continents converge, large amounts of

shortening and thickening takes place, like
at the Himalayas and the Tibet.
Seismic Zoning Map of India as per
IS 1893 (Part 1): 2016
 SEISMIC ZONES OF INDIA

• Zone V :  Zone 5 covers the areas with the highest risk of suffering
earthquakes of intensity MSK IX or greater. The IS code assigns a
zone factor of 0.36 for Zone 5. Structural designers use this factor
for earthquake resistant design of structures in Zone 5. The zone
factor of 0.36 (the maximum horizontal acceleration that can be
experienced by a structure) . It is referred to as the Very High
Damage Risk Zone. The regions of Kashmir, the Western and 
Central Himalayas, North and Middle Bihar, the 
North-East Indian region, the Rann   of Kutch and the 
Andaman and Nicobar group of islands fall in this zone.

• Zone-IV: This zone is called the High Damage Risk Zone and covers
areas liable to MSK VIII. The IS code assigns a zone factor of 0.24
for Zone 4. Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, 
Uttarakhand, Sikkim, parts of the Indo-Gangetic plains (
North Punjab, Chandigarh, Western Uttar Pradesh, Terai, 
North Bengal, the Sundarbans) and the capital of the country Delhi
 fall in Zone 4. In Maharashtra, the Patan area (Koynanagar) is also
in Zone 4. In Bihar the northern part of the state in areas such as 
 SEISMIC ZONES OF INDIA

• Zone III: This zone is classified as a Moderate

Damage Risk Zone which is liable to MSK VII. The
IS code assigns a zone factor of 0.16 for Zone 3.
several megacities like Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata
 and Bhubaneshwar lie in this zone.

• Zone II:  This region is liable to MSK VI or lower

and is classified as the Low Damage Risk Zone.
The IS code assigns a zone factor of 0.10 for Zone
2.
 Earthquake –Resistant Design
Methods

• Lateral Strength Design

• Displacement or Ductility –based Design.
• Capacity Design Method
• Energy- Based Design
 Lateral Strength Design
 IS 1893:2016 is based on this approach.
 Based on providing the structure minimum lateral
strength to resist seismic loads assuming structure
will behaving adequately in nonlinear range
 Concept of Response reduction factor is used with
an intent to account for both ductility and damping
inherent in a structural system.
 Material ductility , member ductility ,member
slenderness, cross sections laid down in IS
4326:1993 and IS 13920:1993
Equivalent static lateral force analysis is based
on the following assumptions :
1) Assume that structure is rigid.
2) Assume perfect fixity between structure and
foundation.
3) During ground motion every point on the
structure experience same accelerations
4) Dominant effect of earthquake is equivalent to
horizontal force of varying magnitude over the
height.
5) Approximately determines the total horizontal
force (Base shear) on the structure.
Displacement or Ductility Based
Design
Capacity Design Methods
• Structures are Designed so that designed so that
hinges can only form in predetermined position
and sequences.
• The capacity design procedure stipulates the
margin of strength that is necessary for elements
to ensure that their behavior remains elastic.
• The concept of this method is to avoid brittle
mode of failure.
JAI HIND