Subjects › Structures
Earthquake Engineering
How ground shaking loads structures and how they are detailed to survive it.
Topics by level
Basics
School, diploma and first-year level: the ideas in plain words.
Intermediate
Degree and exam core (GATE, ESE level).
- Equivalent static method planned
- Response spectrum planned
- Ductility planned
- Shear walls and frames planned
Advanced and Design
Professional design practice.
- Base isolation and dampers planned
- Seismic design of bridges planned
- Retrofitting planned
Research
Frontier topics for researchers and postgraduates.
- Performance-based design planned
- Soil liquefaction research planned
Videos
Short
Column end confinement zone
Closer ties near column ends help a column survive earthquake shaking. IS 13920.
Codes and standards
| Country | Designation | Scope (our words) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | IS 13920 | Ductile design and detailing of reinforced concrete structures for seismic forces. | current |
| India | IS 1893 (Part 1) | Criteria for earthquake-resistant design: seismic zones and how to work out earthquake forces. | current |
| India | IS 4326 | Earthquake-resistant design and construction of buildings, including masonry features such as bands. | current |
| India | National Building Code of India 2016 | Model code for buildings: planning, structural design, fire, construction practice and safety, building services. | current |
| USA | ASCE/SEI 7 | Minimum design loads (dead, live, wind, snow, seismic) for buildings and other structures. | current |
| Europe | EN 1998 (Eurocode 8) | Design of structures for earthquake resistance. | current |
| Germany | DIN 4149 | Buildings in German earthquake areas. | historical (replaced by Eurocode 8 with national annex) |
| Australia | AS 1170.4 | Earthquake actions in Australia. | current |
| Canada | National Building Code of Canada | Model building code, including structural loads in Part 4. | current |
Listed in a fixed country order; no standard is ranked above another. Scopes are our summaries. Buy the standards from the issuing body for exact text.
References and further reading
Standard texts, listed in no order of merit. We do not copy text, figures, tables or solved problems from any book; our explanations and examples are original.
- A. K. Chopra, Dynamics of Structures, Pearson, latest edition.
- T. Paulay, M. J. N. Priestley, Seismic Design of Reinforced Concrete and Masonry Buildings, Wiley, 1992.
- P. Agarwal, M. Shrikhande, Earthquake Resistant Design of Structures, PHI Learning, latest edition.