EARTHQUAKE RESISTANT

STRUCTURES
REPORT ON HOW BUILDINGS RESIST THE SEISMIC FORCES IN THE
EVENT OF AN EARTHQUAKE

PRANAV PRADHAN | FOURTH YR. B.ARCH.

DIV:C | ROLL NO. 22
EARTHQUAKE-RESISTANT STRUCTURES
THEY ARE STRUCTURES DESIGNED TO PROTECT BUILDINGS
FROM EARTHQUAKES.
WHILE NO STRUCTURE CAN BE ENTIRELY IMMUNE TO
DAMAGE FROM EARTHQUAKES, THE GOAL OF EARTHQUAKE-
RESISTANT CONSTRUCTION IS TO ERECT STRUCTURES THAT
FARE BETTER DURING SEISMIC ACTIVITY THAN THEIR
CONVENTIONAL COUNTERPARTS.
ACCORDING TO BUILDING CODES, EARTHQUAKE-RESISTANT
STRUCTURES ARE INTENDED TO WITHSTAND THE LARGEST
EARTHQUAKE OF A CERTAIN PROBABILITY THAT IS LIKELY TO
OCCUR AT THEIR LOCATION.
THIS MEANS THE LOSS OF LIFE SHOULD BE MINIMIZED BY
PREVENTING COLLAPSE OF THE BUILDINGS FOR RARE
EARTHQUAKES WHILE THE LOSS OF THE FUNCTIONALITY
SHOULD BE LIMITED FOR MORE FREQUENT ONES.

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 TO COMBAT EARTHQUAKE
DESTRUCTION, THE ONLY
METHOD AVAILABLE TO
ANCIENT ARCHITECTS WAS
TO BUILD THEIR LANDMARK
STRUCTURES TO LAST, OFTEN BY MAKING THEM
EXCESSIVELY STIFF AND STRONG.
CURRENTLY, THERE ARE SEVERAL DESIGN PHILOSOPHIES IN
EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING, MAKING USE OF EXPERIMENTAL
RESULTS, COMPUTER SIMULATIONS AND OBSERVATIONS
FROM PAST EARTHQUAKES TO OFFER THE REQUIRED

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PERFORMANCE FOR THE SEISMIC THREAT AT THE SITE OF
INTEREST.
THESE RANGE FROM APPROPRIATELY SIZING THE
STRUCTURE TO BE STRONG AND DUCTILE ENOUGH TO
SURVIVE THE SHAKING WITH AN ACCEPTABLE DAMAGE, TO
EQUIPPING IT WITH BASE ISOLATION OR USING
STRUCTURAL VIBRATION CONTROL TECHNOLOGIES TO
MINIMIZE ANY FORCES AND DEFORMATIONS.
WHILE THE FORMER IS THE METHOD TYPICALLY APPLIED IN
MOST EARTHQUAKE-RESISTANT STRUCTURES, IMPORTANT
FACILITIES, LANDMARKS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE
BUILDINGS USE THE MORE ADVANCED (AND EXPENSIVE)
TECHNIQUES OF ISOLATION OR CONTROL TO SURVIVE
STRONG SHAKING WITH MINIMAL DAMAGE.
EXAMPLES OF SUCH APPLICATIONS ARE THE CATHEDRAL OF
OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS AND THE ACROPOLIS MUSEUM.

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ADVANCED METHODS OF EARTHQUAKE RESISTANCE:

1.BASE ISOLATION:
BASE ISOLATION DEVICES- SEPARATE DEVICES FROM
BUILDING FOUNDATION BY BEARING PADS.

 LEAD RUBBER BEARINGS

 SPHERICAL SLIDING ISOLATION SYSTEMS

 SUPPORTED BY A SERIES
OF BEARING PADS THAT ARE
PLACED BETWEEN THE
BUILDING AND ITS
FOUNDATION.

 IN CASE OF A
EARTHQUAKE:
1. FIXED BASE BUILDINGS ARE
DEFORMED AND ARE DAMAGED.
2. BASE ISOLATION BUILDINGS
ROCK BACK AND FORTH AND ARE
PROTECTED.

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SEISMIC DAMPERS:

 VISCOUS
DAMPERS:
UTILISE THE
FORCED
MOVEMENTS
OF FLUID
WITHIN THE
DAMPER.

 FRICTION
DAMPER:
UTILISE
FRICTIONAL
FORCES TO
DISSIPATE
ENERGY.

 METALLIC
DAMPERS:
UTILISE THE
DEFORMATION
OF METAL
ELEMENTS
WITHIN THE
DAMPER.

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SEISMIC RESISTANCE OF LOAD-BEARING STRUCTURES:

INDIA HAS WITNESSED MANY MAJOR EARTHQUAKES IN THE PAST

FEW DECADES. FROM LATUR EARTHQUAKE IN 1993 TO THE
DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE IN BHUJ IN 2001, VARIOUS REGIONS OF
INDIA HAS BEEN DEVASTATED DUE TO THIS NATURAL CALAMITY.
SUCH INCIDENTS HAVE ONLY EXPOSED THE VULNERABILITY OF THE
BUILDING DESIGNS AND CODES IN THE COUNTRY. AND AFTER SUCH
INCIDENTS, THE GOVERNMENT HAS TAKEN STRICT MEASURES IN
IMPLEMENTING CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS FOR
BUILDING EARTHQUAKE-RESISTANT BUILDINGS IN THE AREAS PRONE
TO SEISMIC ACTIVITY.

 TO MAKE AND DESIGN BUILDINGS THAT ARE EARTHQUAKE

RESISTANT, IT'S IMPORTANT TO KEEP THEM LIGHT AND FLEXIBLE.
THIS HELPS THEM IN ABSORBING AND DISTRIBUTING THE ENERGY OF
THEIR MOVEMENT DURING AN EARTHQUAKE .

 IT IS IMPERATIVE TO USE MATERIALS THAT CAN BEND WITHOUT

BREAKING. THIS HELPS IN MAKING THE BUILDING MORE SHOCK
ABSORBENT.

 IN EARTHQUAKE-PRONE ZONES, TO MAKE THE HOMES EARTHQUAKE-

RESISTANT, KEEP THE WALLS AND THE PARTITIONS LIGHT.
CONSTRUCTING THIN CONCRETE FLOORS ALSO HELPS. SHEAR
WALLS WITH A PANELLING SYSTEM AND BRACES CHANNELLING A
SIDE-TO-SIDE FORCE DOWNWARD INTO THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE
BUILDING ALSO MAKE THE CONSTRUCTION EARTHQUAKE-
RESISTANT.

 DURING AN EARTHQUAKE, THE LOAD BEARING STRUCTURES

UNDERGO A BRITTLE FAILURE. ON THE OTHER HAND, A WELL-BUILT
AND PROPERLY DESIGNED REINFORCED CEMENT CONCRETE OR
RCC STRUCTURE UNDERGOES A DUCTILE FAILURE. MAKING THE A
BUILDING EARTHQUAKE-RESISTANT IS ALL ABOUT ENSURING THAT
THE DAMAGE CAUSED TO THE BUILDINGS RESULT IN ZERO LOSS OF
HUMAN LIFE AND THAT, THE DAMAGES ARE CAUSED WITHIN
ACCEPTABLE RANGES AND JUST AT THE RIGHT PLACES. BUILDINGS
THAT ARE EARTHQUAKE-RESISTANT AND ARE BUILT ADHERING TO
PROPER BUILDING CODE ARE EITHER LOAD BEARING STRUCTURES
OR RCC STRUCTURES. THE BRICK WALLS ARE THICK IN LOAD
BEARING STRUCTURES (BETWEEN 9 INCHES TO 1 FOOT). THESE

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WALLS CARRY THE LOAD TO THE FOUNDATION OF THE
BUILDING. THE STRUCTURE MAY HAVE BEAMS, AND THE SLAB IS
USUALLY MADE OF CONCRETE WHICH IS REINFORCED WITH STEEL
OR EARTHQUAKE-RESISTANT TMT BARS. RCC STRUCTURES (ALSO
REFERRED TO AS FRAMED STRUCTURES) ARE MADE OF CONCRETE
AND STEEL. THE LOAD IN THIS STRUCTURE IS USUALLY CARRIED TO
THE FOUNDATION BY SHEAR WALLS OR COLUMNS THAT RESTS ON
CONCRETE PILES.

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CRACKING IN MASONRY WALL DUE TO BENDING AND
SHEAR:

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IMPROVING THE BEHAVIOUR OF MASONRY UNITS:

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HORIZONTAL SLIDING AT SILL LEVEL IN A MASONRY BUILDING

COMPONENTS OF A HIPPED ROOF BLDG.

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VERTICAL REINFORCEMENT IN BLDG.

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ROLE OF HORIZONTAL BANDS IN SEISMIC PROTECTION:

 BANDS HOLD A MASONRY BUILDING AS A SINGLE UNIT

BY TYING ALL THE WALLS TOGETHER.

 LINTEL BANDS CREATE A SUPPORT FOR WALLS FACE-

LOADED IN THEIR WEAK DIRECTION FROM WALLS
ACTING IN THEIR STRONG DIRECTION.

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