FACULTY OF SCIENCE, ENGINEERING & COMPUTING
School of Civil Engineering & Construction
BEng (Hons) Degree in Civil Engineering
A Study of Seismic Design and Seismic Design Codes
Interim Report
Syed Bahrami
K1355168
Supervisor
Dr Hamid Jahromi
Abstract
Earthquake engineering is a subject where a person can be overwhelmed with information but still crave for knowledge due to its unpredictable nature. Earthquakes are a natural repetitive occurrence on planet earth, which due to its devastating impact, have caused a lot of damage to structures and caused loss of life. Therefore engineers, scientists and geologists were required to take action and one of the many first steps was to identify the regions of seismic activity. The argument in this essay is not how to prevent earthquakes as that is out of the control of humans but how to minimise the damage and deaths caused by them by designing better buildings. The challenge to first achieve this goal was by engineers in America, where in 1906, in the state of California, due to the frequent earthquakes in the state, building design codes and safety standards were established. These design or seismic codes have helped to reduce the damages caused by earthquakes. Therefore the solution for people in active seismic zones is to adhere to the seismic codes strictly, designed by engineers in order to help strengthen buildings and reduce the loss of life when an earthquake occurs.
The San Andreas fault line has caused constant development nightmares for large urban areas such as San Francisco as well as the other cities built on top of it. Fault lines are one of the side effects of the earth’s tectonic plates shifting that can result in devastating earthquakes. Some of the most devastating earthquakes in our modern era have occurred along the San Andreas fault line due to a dense population. The most notable and destructive earthquake on the San Andreas fault line occurred in San Francisco in 1906. The reason this earthquake was so deadly was because of its magnitude and the city’s poor planning. This earthquake was a wakeup call for San Francisco and force the city to revolutionize its knowledge on earthquakes and how to protect their city. Today San Francisco is one of the most well prepared cities for an earthquake and has made great discoveries in earthquake safety measures. The 1906 earthquake in San Francisco has drastically changed how the city has developed its zoning and building code policies, and its earthquake research.
• This earthquake may not have released all of the strain stored in its rocks next to the fault this reveals a potential earthquake in the Santa Cruz Mountains in the near future. The occurrence of the earthquake showed that the Earth did not exhaust all its strain and hence other earthquakes could be expected. However, the dates could not be predicted. The extent of the damage could have been much more devastating for the region, but with the earthquake occurring near the coast this made half of the felt area westward in the Pacific Ocean. The occurrence of aftershocks ten days later reinforces the unpredictability nature and hence makes Geology to be a study that is always evolving. In conclusion, the Earth and the study of cannot be exhausted as every natural occurrence provides a new puzzle to be solved.
Over more than 50 decades there has been multiple earthquakes that have been caused by the activity that takes place beneath and above the surface of the earth. For every earthquake there are various effects and consequences, these are generally not preventable but teachable moments. As we study and explore landforms we learn and better understand how today 's structures came about, what took place decades ago and where do we go from here. Thanks to the technology and inquiring minds we are able to study past events like the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the 1964 Alaska earthquake. In comparing these two events we can get an overview of what happened and better prepare ourselves for something like that in the future.
A ‘hazard’ can be defined as a geophysical process operating within the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere or biosphere which could potentially lead to the loss of human life or property. However, an earthquake only becomes hazardous and therefore needs management if it occurs within close proximity to a vulnerable population. To some extent, any human settlement around the world situated close to or on top of an area of seismic activity is vulnerable. However, not all nations suffer equal devastation.
This is one, but not the only way to make the phenomenon we know as earthquakes. This fault has not only caused trouble in the past but is likely to bring devastating destruction in the relatively near future. San Francisco had an earthquake, because of this fault, in April 1906 killing over 700 people and causing millions in damage (San). If a new earthquake were to happen it would kill thousands of American citizens along the west coast. Consequently, there would be a major drop in population over there which could reduce the amount of production created in this region all tying back into why the geological aspect of America is a main determining factor for seeing the importance of why America has the properties it has and will have in the future.
I propose that the state of California enforce stricter regulations concerning earthquake safety before, during, and after the quake. Scientists are preparing by studying the earthquake to help predict how much land area that the earthquake will cover and how strong the shaking will be in order to help prepare for The Big One. The government of California, however, has not made many changes to the safety regulations and rules for emergency preparedness to accommodate these findings (California Seismic Safety Commission). If anyone in California wants a chance of surviving the earthquake to come, then some changes need to be made concerning building regulations, emergency routes and safety procedures, and emergency responders’ training in responding
‘Natural disasters are often not natural disasters, but in fact human disasters. Discuss this statement according to seismic events’
My inference is that California is at a very high risk from earthquakes and needs better earthquake safety for buildings and houses. This is because California is located to be a fault line named San Andreas.The type of plate boundary that this fault is on is a transform tectonic plate.This fault line is lined up all around the coast of California and is the sliding boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate.Although.According to an article named the San Andreas fault by David K. Lynch “And despite San Francisco’s legendary 1906 earthquake, The San Andreas Fault does not go through the city. But communities like Desert Hot Springs, San Bernardino, Wrightwood, Palmdale, Daly City, lies squarely on the fault and are sitting
The twenty-story Carson Building is constructed of concrete blocks. Each and every concrete block in the structure can withstand an earthquake of 9.5 on the Richter scale. Therefore, the building can withstand an earthquake of 9.5 on the Richter scale.
Earthquake Hazards occur when there are adverse effects on human activities. This can include surface faulting, ground shaking and liquefaction. In this essay I will be discussing the factors that affect earthquakes, whether human such as population density, urbanisation and earthquake mitigation or physical such as liquefaction, magnitude, landslides and proximity to the focus.
The San Andreas Fault is one of the most widely studied faults in the world. Scientists use an array of methods in collecting data and providing analysis of fault characteristics both past and present. Presently there are many differing hypothesis and models used to describe crustal movements and deformation within the Pacific and North American plate boundary. Historical earthquakes along this fault have proven to be rather large and devastating. This is important since the San Andreas Fault runs along many highly populated areas throughout Northern and Southern California. Through further research and analysis of this fault system scientists hope to solve
State thesis&main points: So, in the speech, I am going to introduce how the earthquakes cause the damage to human; tell about the earthquakes prediction and why we need to have a rescue plan.
I have diligently worked on all these projects to attain something new in Structural & Earthquake Engineering. Currently, all that is on my mind is Structural Engineering, and finding a new strategy to increase Structures’ capacity and their stability under different conditions. To improve their seismic performance, to decrease their damages when they are subjected to natural disasters, to decrease the cost of their damages, and their construction, to reach the most effective approach to construct, maintain and rehabilitate different structures, I have so much on my mind, so much to experience, and numerous approaches to try; A complete list of my research interests is enumerated on my
In the United States, construction has always been one of the most dangerous industries to work in. The number of fatalities that occur in this industry year after year demonstrate this. In 2014, 19.6% of worker fatalities, in private industry, were in construction (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015) despite the industry comprising only 6.8% of the total work force. This epidemic is not unique to the United States. Essentially every country faces similar problems regarding construction safety. For example, in 2004 the Australian construction industry employed approximately 8% of the countries workforce. However, workers compensation statistics indicated that the industry’s incidence rate was 28.6 per 1000 employees,
In the U.S. alone, the average annual cost to repair damage caused by earthquakes is $4.4 billion USD. The worldwide figure is much larger than this but unquantifiable due to poorer countries unable to accurately determine the amount of damage that occurred. Year after year the cost of damages barely fluctuates from these ridiculously high figures and money must be pumped into repairing the damage done. Although a lot is being learnt about earthquakes and the fact that humans are now normally able to be alerted in time to evacuate the area the earthquake will affect, there have been no breakthroughs into reducing the amount of damage earthquakes cause to buildings and infrastructures.