What is Earthquake Resistant Building | Structure? 8 Important Points

For many of us, experiencing earthquakes has been a terrifying experience. When you feel the earth shake, all you want is for it to stop and not do more harm to many people. Aside from being horrified by the event, the after-effects of an earthquake, such as the occurrence of tsunamis, are extremely dangerous.

Types of Earthquakes?

Tectonic, volcanic, collapse, and explosion are the four types of earthquakes.

A tectonic earthquake happens when the earth's shell fractures due to geological forces acting on rocks & plates adjacent to it, causing chemical & physical changes.
An earthquake that occurs as a result of tectonic forces associated with the volcanic activity is referred to as a volcanic earthquake.
Small earthquakes triggered by seismic waves created by the detonation of the rock on the surface cause collapse of underground tunnels and mines.
An earthquake caused by the explosion of a nuclear or chemical bomb is known as an explosive earthquake.

Effects of Earthquake on Structures?

When an earthquake strikes a structure, inertia forces are generated, which can be very destructive, causing deformations and horizontal and vertical shaking. These consequences are described and given in the following sections.

Effects on Inertia Force

One of the seismic impacts that have a negative impact on a structure is the creation of inertia forces. When the building shakes due to an earthquake, the foundation moves but the roof remains stationary. The roof, on the other hand, is dragged along with the building's base because the walls and columns are attached to it.

Structures Deformation

When the building undergoes an earthquake and adjacent ground shakes, the building's foundation moves with it. The roof, on the other hand, would move differently than the structure's foundation. Internal forces in the columns are created by this difference in movement, which tends to reappearance the column to its initial location.

Horizontal and Vertical Shaking

The ground shakes in all three directions X, Y, and Z during an earthquake, and the ground shakes randomly back and forth along each of these axis directions. Structures are often intended to resist vertical loads, therefore vertical shaking caused by earthquakes (which either adds or subtracts vertical loads) is addressed by safety factors incorporated into the design”.

General Principles of Earthquake-Resistant Design

The Simplicity of the Structure

The provision of an evident, basic, and uncomplicated load route to transfer seismic forces from different parts of the structure to its foundation is referred to as structural simplicity. Not only must the load route be obvious and straightforward, but its components should also be stiff, ductile, and strong enough.

Redundancy and Uniformity

It has been proved that if a structure's strength, stiffness, and mass are distributed symmetrically and consistently in elevation and plan, it will perform significantly better in seismic events than a structure that lacks these attributes. In terms of consistency of strength and stiffness in elevation,

Stiffness

Because seismic loads on both horizontal axes of structures are typically similar, it is advised that identical resistant systems be provided in both directions. As a result, the structural components must be arranged orthogonally to ensure that resistance properties are identical in both primary directions.

Torsional

During earthquakes, lateral-torsional deformation may occur, stressing diverse structural elements in an uneven manner. The eccentricity between the centre of mass and stiffness is what causes lateral-torsional motion. As a result, this issue must be addressed throughout the design phase.

Diaphragm Adequacy

The impact of diaphragms on a structure's seismic response is quite important. It not only transfers the seismic inertia stress to the vertical structure members but also prevents the vertical elements from moving too far to the side. As a result, appropriate in-plan stiffness should be provided in order for the floors to fulfil their role adequately.

Seismic Design

Seismic design is a critical structural analysis method used when constructing a structure that will be endangered by Earthquake, ensuring that the structure will continue to perform its purpose after the earthquake.
Seismic Engineering has advanced throughout time, with tools like STAAD Pro, ETABS, TEKLA, ROBOT, and others automating the complication of analysis that used to need several cycles of formulas. These tools produce beneficial outcomes such as safe, stable, and long-lasting structures, as well as design optimization and cost-effective structures.
Hospitals and educational structures are unique structures with a higher relevance factor than commercial or residential structures, ranging from 25 to 50 percent.

The structure that can withstand an earthquake

Rigid Structure

While it may appear counterintuitive to construct a stiff structure to a location where the ground moves, it is actually a highly common method of stabilizing and maintaining a structure. The most important aspect of this technique, however, is providing lateral rigidity. It's simple enough to construct a vertically strong structure but ensuring that the structure moves uniformly side to side during the earthquake is more difficult.

Multiple Safety

Multiple safety methods are in place in a really earthquake-proof building to ensure it does not collapse. This increases the cost of constructing an earthquake-resistant structure, but it pays off immediately when you are attacked by an earthquake or storm. Essentially, earthquake-resistant structures will contain multiple qualities from this list.

In general, it refers to the usage of foundations, cross braces, and materials with evenly distributed strength both sideways and vertically.

Strong Foundation

In order to construct an earthquake-proof building, you must first ensure that your foundations will support your structure. As with any structure, you must ensure that the area where you are constructing has a safe foundation in order to give a stable building basis.

When construction in earthquake or cyclone-prone areas, however, reinforcement is frequently required. Softer ground material, which might slide and cave after heavy rain or vibrations, is common in areas prone to these natural calamities.

Bracing

Because of its simple design and ease of installation, cross bracings are employed in earthquake-proof buildings all over the world. Cross braces are comparable to trusses in that they give stiffness by being integrated into the walls and floors.

Material

“The materials employed in an earthquake-resistant structure can make or break its stability. Some materials, despite providing a strong and stable structure, are not designed to resist earthquake movement. Bricks, in particular, are very vulnerable to earthquake shocks. The following materials are frequently used in earthquake-resistant construction”:

Wood
Steel
RCC
Bamboo

Features of the Earthquake Resistant Buildings

Earthquake-resistant structures and structural elements generally feature ductility (a building's capacity to bend, deform without collapse, and sway). When exposed to the vertical or horizontal shear stresses of an earthquake, a ductile structure bends and flexes.

Examples of Earthquake Resistant Buildings

The following are the ten buildings that were designed with specialized features to withstand the lashes of earthquakes:

TAIPEI 101, Taiwan
Utah State Capitol building, USA
Petronas Twin Tower, Malaysia.
Burj Khalifa, Dubai.
The Yokohama Landmark Tower.
Citigroup Center.
S Bank Tower, USA.
One Rincon Hill South Tower, USA.

I hope the above blog provides you with an in-depth knowledge of Earthquake resistant buildings.

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What is Earthquake Resistant Building | Structure? 8 Important Points