Earthquake-Resistant Structures Are Structure Designed To Protect Buildings From Earthquakes

INTODUCTION
Earthquake-resistant structures are structure 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.
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 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.
A ductile building is able to bend and flex when exposed to the horizontal or vertical shear forces of
an earthquake. Concrete buildings, which are normally brittle (relatively easy to break), can be made
ductile by adding steel reinforcement. In buildings constructed with steel-reinforced concrete, both
the steel and the concrete must be precisely manufactured to achieve the desired ductile behaviour.
Building failures during earthquakes often are due to poor construction methods or inadequate
materials. In less-developed countries, concrete often is not properly mixed, consolidated, or cured
to achieve its intended compressive strength, so buildings are thus extremely susceptible to failure
under seismic loading. This problem is often made worse by a lack of local building codes or an
absence of inspection and quality control.
Building failures are also frequently attributed to a shortage of suitable and locally available
materials. For instance, when a building is designed with steel-reinforced concrete, it is critical that
the amount of steel used is not reduced to lower the building cost. Such practices substantially
weaken a building’s ability to withstand the dynamic forces of an earthquake.
Earthquake-resistant construction, the fabrication of a building or structure that is able to withstand

the sudden ground shaking that is characteristic of earthquakes, thereby minimizing structural
damage and human deaths and injuries. Suitable construction methods are required to ensure that
proper design objectives for earthquake-resistance are met. Construction methods can vary
dramatically throughout the world, so one must be aware of local construction methods and
resource availability before concluding whether a particular earthquake-resistant design will be
practical and realistic for the region.
There is a fundamental distinction between the design of a building and the construction methods
used to fabricate that building. Advanced designs intended to withstand earthquakes are effective
only if proper construction methods are used in the site selection, foundation, structural members,
and connection joints. Earthquake-resistant designs typically incorporate ductility (the ability of a
building to bend, sway, and deform without collapsing) within the structure and its structural
members.
OBJECTIVE
The object of this to deal with the basic concepts involved in achieving appropriate earthquake
resistance of such buildings as stated above which may be collectively called as non-engineered
buildings, to include suitable illustration to explain the important points and to present such data
which could be used to proportion the critical strengthening elements.

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INTODUCTION

Earthquake-resistant structures are structure designed to protect buildings from earthquakes.

Earthquake-resistant construction, the fabrication of a building or structure that is able to withstand

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