SEMINAR I REPORT

EARTHQUAKE RESISTANT DESIGN OF

BUILDINGS

SHREEKANTH T S

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY KARNATAKA
(A DEEMED UNIVERSITY)

SURATHKAL, P.O. SRINIVASNAGAR – 575025

MANGALORE, INDIA
MARCH 2005

1
 EARTHQUAKE RESISTANT DESIGN OF
BUILDINGS
A seminar report submitted to
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY KARNATAKA, SURATHKAL
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
MASTER OF TECHNOLOGY (Structural Engineering)

By

SHREEKANTH T S
Register No. 04ST13

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY KARNATAKA
(A DEEMED UNIVERSITY)

SURATHKAL, P.O. SRINIVASNAGAR – 575025

MANGALORE, INDIA
MARCH 2005

2
 DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY KARNATAKA
(A DEEMED UNIVERSITY)

SURATHKAL, P.O. SRINIVASNAGAR – 575025

MANGALORE, INDIA

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the seminar report titled EARTHQUAKE RESISTANT DESIGN
OF BUILDINGS is being submitted by SHREEKANTH T S in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the award of the degree of MASTER OF TECHNOLOGY (Structural
Engineering) of NITK, Surathkal.

(Prof. Katta Venkataramana)

Professor
Civil Engineering Dept.,
NITK, Surathkal.
Date:

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 ABSTRACT
In this seminar report, the basics of earthquake engineering like how it happens and what
are the consequences are studied. Also an effort is made to understand the design of the
building elements like reinforced concrete column, reinforced concrete beam, reinforced
concrete beam-column joint and some of the basic structural elements used in the design
of buildings considering earthquake load which acts as base shear. To reduce this
damage, the structure should be built as a ductile member, which can absorb certain
amount of energy and gives prior warning before collapse. The reinforcement provided in
the earthquake resistant structures is slightly different from that of the general case.
Special type of reinforcement is provided to prevent the cracks in the joints as well as in
the face of the structure. Therefore the main intension of the earthquake resistant
buildings is to reduce the damage to the structure and to reduce the causalities, which
occur during earthquakes.

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude and profound thanks to my guide
Prof. Katta Venkataramana , Department of Civil Engineering for his advice and
guidance accorded during the course of the preparation of the Seminar report.

I record my sincere gratitude to Dr. R. Shivashankar, Professor & Head, Department of

Civil Engineering for according permission to present this seminar report.

I also thank the Course Coordinator, Ms. B.R.Jayalekshmi, Senior Lecturer, and
Department of Civil Engineering for coordinating and providing the help during the
seminar.

I extend my heartfelt thanks to the faculty of Civil Engineering Department and friends
who helped me directly or indirectly in bringing out this seminar report.

SHREEKANTH T S

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 INDEX

1. INTRODUCTION 1
2. THE EARTHQUAKE 2-5
2.1 CAUSES OF EARTHQUAKES 2

2.1.1 Tectonic plate movement 2

2.1.2 Volcanic activity 2
2.1.3 Collapsed mines 3
2.1.4 Explosions 3
2.1.5 Water pressure from reservoirs 3

2.2 MEASURING INSTRUMENTS 4

2.3 EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS 4
2.3.1 The effect of ground shaking 5
2.3.2 Ground displacement 5

2.3.3 Flooding 5
2.3.4 Fire 5

3.TERMINOLOGY 6-9

3.1 BASIC TERMS 6

3.1.1 Epicenter 6
3.1.2 Hypocenter 6
3.1.3 Epicentral distance 6
3.1.4 Focal depth 6

3.2 SEISMIC WAVES 6

3.2.1 Types of seismic waves 7
3.2.1.1 Body wave 7
3.2.1.1.1 P-Waves 7

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 3.2.1.1.2 S-Waves 7
3.2.1.2 Surface waves 8
3.2.1.2.1 Love waves 8
3.2.1.2.2 Rayleigh waves 8

3.3 MAGNITUDES AND INTENSITY 8

3.3.1 Intensity 8
3.3.2 Magnitude 9
3.3.2.1 Measurement of earthquake magnitudes 9
3.3.3 Magnitude / Intensity comparison 9

4. DESIGN PROCEDURE 10-21

4.1 INTRODUCTION 10
4.2 IMPORTANCE OF ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES 10
4.3 EARTHQUAKE DESIGN PHILOSOPHY 12
4.3.1 Ductile consideration 12
4.3.2 Importance of seismic design codes 12
4.3.3 Indian seismic codes 13
4.3.4 Inertia forces in structures 13
4.3.5 Role of horizontal bands 14
4.3.5.1 RC band details 15

4.3.6 Importance of providing vertical reinforcement. 15

4.3.7 Reinforced concrete beam 16
4.3.7.1 Splicing and lap in beam 18

4.3.8 Reinforced concrete column 18

4.3.9 Reinforced concrete beam-column joints 19
4.3.10 Short columns 20

5. CONCLUSION 22
6. REFERENCE 23

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1. INTRODUCTION
The sudden slip at the fault causes the earthquake a violent shaking of the Earth when
large elastic strain energy released spreads out through seismic waves that travel through
the body and along the surface of the Earth. When the waves, which have tremendous
energy, travel both beneath the earth and over the surface of earth it shakes the earth.
Because of this shaking of earth, the structures are subjected to damage and collapse.
Therefore, the primary thing required is to analyse the structure taking earthquake load
into consideration which acts as base shear. To reduce this damage, the structure should
be built as a ductile member, which can absorb certain amount of energy and gives prior
warning before collapse. The structural elements like reinforced beam, reinforced column
and reinforced beam-column etc., should be designed considering earthquake load. The
reinforcement should be provided sufficiently. Therefore the main intension of the
earthquake resistant buildings is to minimize the damage to the structure.

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2. THE EARTHQUAKE
Earthquake is a term used to describe both sudden slip on a fault and the resulting ground
shaking and radiated seismic energy caused by the slip, or by volcanic or magmatic
activity, or other sudden stress changes in the earth. Rocks are made of elastic material,
and so elastic strain energy is stored in them during the deformations that occur due to the
gigantic tectonic plate actions that occur in the Earth. But, the material contained in rocks
is also very brittle. Thus, when the rocks along a weak region in the Earth’s Crust reach
their strength, a sudden movement takes place there opposite sides of the fault (a crack in
the rocks where movement has taken place) suddenly slip and release the large elastic
strain energy stored in the interface rocks. The sudden slip at the fault causes the
earthquake a violent shaking of the Earth when large elastic strain energy released
spreads out through seismic waves that travel through the body and along the surface of
the Earth. And, after the earthquake is over, the process of strain build-up at this modified
interface between the rocks starts all over again. Earth scientists know this as the Elastic
Rebound Theory.

2.1 CAUSES OF EARTHQUAKES

Earthquakes can be caused by natural events or human activities. Here are some of the
different causes of earthquakes.

2.1.1 Tectonic plate movement

This is the most common cause of earthquakes. The earthquake occurs when the pressure
that has built up in tectonic plates causes the rock to break suddenly. This usually occurs
at the boundaries of tectonic plates and along existing faults.

2.1.2 Volcanic activity

Earthquakes often accompany volcanic activity. The flow of magma can cause
earthquakes. Often a volcanic eruption is accompanied by small tremors just before,
during and after it. Deep below the vent of the volcano, hot magma moves slowly
through underground passages, under pressure, as it makes its way to wards the earth'
surface. As this happens, the surrounding rock is put under pressure as the magma pushes

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 1.1

against it. This causes the rock to fracture and small earthquakes to occur. Earthquakes
can cause magma to flow and lava to erupt.

2.1.3 Collapsed mines

Small seismic events can be produced when the roof of underground caves or mines
collapse.

2.1.4 Explosions

Humans have caused explosion earthquakes by detonating nuclear devices. Underground

nuclear explosions have caused moderate sized earthquakes that have been felt by people
up to 50 kilometers away. Rocks blasting in quarries also produce small seismic events,
which people sometimes mistakenly believe to be earthquakes.

2.1.5 Water pressure from reservoirs

When a dam is constructed, the valley behind it is filled with water to form a reservoir.
The weight of the water increases the load on the rocks below the valley surface. It also
increases the pressure of the water within the rock in the area, which can lubricate
existing faults making it easier for them to slip.

Earthquakes that occur at the edges of tectonic plates are called interplate earthquakes.
Earthquakes that occur within tectonic plates are called intraplate earthquake.

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2.2 MEASURING instruments

The instrument that measures earthquake shaking, a seismograph, has three components –
the sensor, the recorder and the timer. The principle on which it works is simple and is
explicitly reflected in the early seismograph a pen attached at the tip of an oscillating
simple pendulum (a mass hung by a string from a support) marks on a chart paper that is
held on a drum rotating at a constant speed. A magnet around the string provides required
damping to control the amplitude of oscillations. The pendulum mass, string, magnet and
support together constitute the sensor; the drum, pen and chart paper constitute the
recorder; and the motor that rotates the drum at constant speed forms the timer.

The analog instruments have evolved over time, but today, digital instruments using
modern computer technology are more commonly used. The digital instrument records
the ground motion on the memory of the microprocessor that is in-built in the instrument.

Fig.1.2

Fig 2.2 seismograph

2.3 EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS

Earthquakes really pose little direct danger to a person. People can't be shaken to death by
an earthquake. Some movies show scenes with the ground suddenly opening up and
people falling into fiery pits, but this just doesn't happen in real life.

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2.3.1 The effect of ground shaking

The first main earthquake hazard (danger) is the effect of ground shaking. Buildings can
be damaged by the shaking itself or by the ground beneath them settling to a different
level than it was before the earthquake (subsidence). Buildings can even sink into the
ground if soil liquefaction occurs

2.3.2 Ground displacement

If a structure (a building, road, etc.) is built across a fault, the ground displacement during
an earthquake could seriously damage or rip apart that structure.

2.3.3 Flooding

An earthquake can rupture (break) dams or levees along a river. The water from the river
or the reservoir would then flood the area, damaging buildings and maybe sweeping away
or drowning people.

2.3.4 Fire

These fires can be started by broken gas lines and power lines, or tipped over wood or
coal stoves.

Most of the hazards to people come from man-made structures themselves and the
shaking they receive from the earthquake. The real dangers to people are being crushed in
a collapsing building, drowning in a flood caused by a broken dam or levee, getting
buried under a landslide, or being burned in a fire.

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3.TERMINOLOGY

3.1 BASIC TERMS

3.1.1 Epicenter
The epicenter is the point on the earth's surface vertically above the hypocenter (or
focus), point in the crust where a seismic rupture begins.

3.1.2 Hypocenter
The hypocenter is the point within the earth where an earthquake rupture starts. The
epicenter is the point directly above it at the surface of the Earth. Also commonly termed
the focus.
3.1.3 Epicentral distance
Distance from epicenter to any point of interest is called epicentral distance.
3.1.4 Focal depth
The depth of focus from the epicenter, called as Focal Depth, is an important parameter in
determining the damaging potential of an earthquake.

Fig 3.1 Basic terms

3.2 SEISMIC WAVES

Seismic waves are the waves of energy caused by the sudden breaking of rock within the
earth or an explosion. They are the energy that travels through the earth and is recorded
on seismographs. Study of earthquakes and seismic waves that move through and around
the earth is called Seismology.

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3.2.1 Types of seismic waves

3.2.1.1 Body wave

A body wave is a seismic wave that moves through the interior of the earth, as opposed to
surface waves that travel near the earth's surface. P and S waves are body waves. Each
type of wave shakes the ground in different ways.

3.2.1.1.1 P-Waves

P-waves travel faster than the other seismic waves. They are longitudinal waves. They
travel like sound waves in the air, transferring energy as the ground particles are pushed
together and pulled apart. The particles move in the same direction as the wave is
traveling.

P-waves can travel through solid rock and through liquid. They can be transmitted into
the air as sound waves where they can be heard as a low rumbling sound.

P-waves travel between 4-8 kilometers per second.

3.2.1.1.2 S-Waves

S-waves travel at about half the speed of P-waves. They are transverse waves,
transferring energy as the ground particles are vibrated from side to side, at right
angles to the direction that the wave is traveling.

S-waves travel at about 2-5 kilometers per second.

S-waves can travel through solid rock, but not through air and liquid.

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3.2.1.2 Surface waves

Surface waves are the slowest seismic waves. They are like waves on the sea, which have
a complicated rolling motion. As these waves travel, their movement is greatest at the
earth's surface. The movement gets smaller and smaller at greater depths below the
surface.

Surface waves travel at about 1.8-4.5 kilometres per second.

3.2.1.2.1 Love waves

It's the fastest surface wave and moves the ground from side-to-side.

3.2.1.2.2 Rayleigh waves

The other kind of surface wave is the Rayleigh wave. A Rayleigh wave rolls along the
ground just like a wave rolls across a lake or an ocean. Because it rolls, it moves the
ground up and down, and side-to-side in the same direction that the wave is moving.
Most of the shaking felt from an earthquake is due to the Rayleigh wave, which can be
much larger than the other waves.

3.3 MAGNITUDES AND INTENSITY

3.3.1 Intensity

Intensity is the amount the ground shakes. The intensity is a number (written as a Roman
numeral) describing the severity of an earthquake in terms of its effects on the earth's
surface and on humans and their structures. There are many intensities for an earthquake,

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depending on where you are, unlike the magnitude, which is one number for each
earthquake.

3.3.2 Magnitude

Magnitude - the amount of energy it releases into the earth's crust.

The magnitude is a number that characterizes the relative size of an earthquake.

Magnitude is based on measurement of the maximum motion recorded by a seismograph.

3.3.2.1 Measurement of earthquake magnitudes

The magnitude of most earthquakes is measured on the Richter scale, invented by Charles
F. Richter in 1934. The Richter magnitude is calculated from the amplitude of the largest
seismic wave recorded for the earthquake, no matter what type of wave was the strongest.

The Richter magnitudes are based on a logarithmic scale (base 10). This means that for
each whole number you go up on the Richter scale, the amplitude of the ground motion
recorded by a seismograph goes up ten times (and 32 times as much energy would be
released where energy, E, is expressed in ergs.).

3.3.3 Magnitude / Intensity comparison

Magnitude and Intensity measure different characteristics of earthquakes. Magnitude

measures the energy released at the source of the earthquake. Magnitude is determined
from measurements on seismographs. Intensity measures the strength of shaking
produced by the earthquake at a certain location. Intensity is determined from effects on
people, human structures, and the natural environment.

Descriptor Magnitude Average Annually

Great 8 and higher 1¹
Major 7 - 7.9 17 ²
Strong 6 - 6.9 134 ²
Moderate 5 - 5.9 1319 ²
Light 4 - 4.9 13,000 (estimated)
Minor 3 - 3.9 130,000 (estimated)
Very Minor 2 - 2.9 1,300,000 (estimated)
¹ Based on observations since 1900. ² Based on observations since 1990.
Table 3.1: Global occurrence of earthquakes

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4. DESIGN PROCEDURE

4.1 INTRODUCTION

Engineering capabilities are advancing to meet the needs of the public and private
sectors. Computers capable of advanced dynamic response simulations are available in
most engineering offices, and advanced analyses are becoming more common in
structural engineering practice. But the problems are becoming more complex. Expected
ground motions are more severe and complex than previously assumed. Near-source, soft
soil, and long duration motions as well as "the big one" are cause for concern. The
apparent increase in the frequency of damaging earthquakes has lessened public's
tolerance for damage. Therefore, engineers must design accordingly.

In order to deal with the complexities of the seismic design process, a broad perspective
is needed. The earthquake engineer needs to balance and integrate information from:

 Structural dynamics  Geo-technical engineering

 Structural analysis  Economics and public policy

 Structural design  Risk and reliability analysis

 Seismology  Architecture

Some things that affect the amount of damage that occurs are

 The building designs,

 The distance from the epicenter, and

 The type of surface material (rock or dirt) the buildings rest on.

4.2 IMPORTANCE OF ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES

The basic idea of any earthquake resistant building is its simplicity, regularity and
symmetry in both plan and elevation. Symmetry of the structure plays a major role
amongst them. Any irregularity in the distribution of stiffness or mass is likely to lead to

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an increased dynamic response. The irregularity of shape in the plan which makes the
structure poor in its performance can be enhanced by giving a separation between the
sections and making them as symmetrical as possible. This is as shown in the figures
below.

Fig.4.1 Some shapes which lead to poor performance of buildings.

Fig.4.2 Simple plan shape buildings do well during earthquakes.

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4.3 EARTHQUAKE DESIGN PHILOSOPHY

Structures should, in general, be able to resist

a) Minor earthquakes without damage.
b) Resist moderate earthquakes without structural damage, but with some
nonstructural damage.
c) Resist major earthquakes, of severity equal to the strongest that could be
experienced in the area, without collapse but with some structural as well as some
non-structural damage.
Earthquake-resistant design is therefore concerned about ensuring that the damages in
buildings during earthquakes are of the acceptable variety, and also that they occur at the
right places and in right amounts.
In reinforced concrete structures the essential features of earthquake resistance are
embodied in ensuring the following:
i. Beam should fail before columns.
ii. Failures should be in flexure rather than shear.
iii. Premature failure of joints between members should be prevented.
iv. Ductile rather than brittle failure should be obtained.

4.3.1 Ductile consideration

The structure should be made ductile avoiding the possibility of brittle failure means that,
at ultimate load conditions there is still an adequate safety margin between the actual
stress and the brittle failure stress. Therefore, the main building elements need to be built
with ductility in them which will have the ability to sway back-and-forth during an
earthquake, and to withstand earthquake effects with some damage, but without collapse.
Thus, earthquake-resistant design strives to predetermine the locations where damage
takes place and then to provide good detailing at these locations to ensure ductile
behaviour of the building.

4.3.2 Importance of seismic design codes

Seismic codes help to improve the behaviour of structures so that they may withstand the
earthquake effects without significant loss of life and property. And also it gives

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minimum requirements which are got by test or by the previous experience which the
designer has to follow so as to decrease the damage to the structure.
An earthquake-resistant building has four virtues in it, namely:
1. Good Structural Configuration: Its size, shape and structural system carrying loads
are such that they ensure a direct and smooth flow of inertia forces to the ground.
2. Lateral Strength: The maximum lateral (horizontal) force that it can resist is such that
the damage induced in it does not result in collapse.
3. Adequate Stiffness: Its lateral load resisting system is such that the earthquake-
induced deformations in it do not damage its contents under low to moderate shaking.
4. Good Ductility: Its capacity to undergo large deformations under severe earthquake
shaking even after yielding is improved by favourable design and detailing strategies.

4.3.3 Indian seismic codes

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has the following seismic codes:
1. IS 1893 (Part I), 2002, Indian Standard Criteria for Earthquake Resistant Design
of Structures (5th Revision)
2. IS 4326, 1993, Indian Standard Code of Practice for Earthquake Resistant Design
and Construction of Buildings (2nd Revision)
3. IS 13827, 1993, Indian Standard Guidelines for Improving Earthquake Resistance
of Earthen Buildings
4. IS 13828, 1993, Indian Standard Guidelines for Improving Earthquake Resistance
of Low Strength Masonry Buildings
5. IS 13920, 1993, Indian Standard Code of Practice for Ductile Detailing of
Reinforced Concrete Structures Subjected to Seismic Forces.
6. IS 13935, 1993, Indian Standard Guidelines for Repair and Seismic Strengthening
of Buildings.

4.3.4 Inertia forces in structures

From Newton’s First Law of Motion, even though the base of the building moves with
the ground, the roof has a tendency to stay in its original position. But since the walls and
columns are connected to it, they drag the roof along with them. This tendency to

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continue to remain in the previous position is known as inertia. In the building, since the
walls or columns are flexible, the motion of the roof is different from that of the ground
and hence there is inertial force. If the mass of the structure is more the inertial force will
be more and hence, lighter the structure it sustains the earthquake force better.

4.3.5 Role of horizontal bands

Horizontal bands strengthen the masonry buildings. The bands are provided to hold a
masonry building as a single unit by tying all the walls together, and to impart horizontal
bending strength in them. The band should be made of reinforced concrete of grade not
leaner than Ml5.The types of bands provided in a typical masonry building are,
 Gable band – It is a band provided at the top of gable masonry and below the
purlins.
 Roof band – It is provided immediately below the roof or floors. Such a band
need not be provided underneath reinforced concrete or brick-work slabs resting
on bearing walls, provided that the slabs are continuous over the intermediate
wall.
 Lintel band and – This is provided at lintel level on all load bearing internal,
external, longitudinal and cross walls.
 Plinth band - are primarily used when there is concern about uneven settlement of
foundation soil.

Fig 4.4 Different bands provided.

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The lintel band is the most important of all, and needs to be provided in almost all
buildings. The gable band is employed only in buildings with pitched or sloped roofs.
However, in buildings with flat timber or CGI sheet roof, roof band needs to be provided.
In buildings with pitched or sloped roof, the roof band is very important. Door and
window openings in walls reduce their lateral load resistance and hence, should
preferably be small and more centrally located.

4.3.5.1 RC band details:

The Indian Standards IS: 4326-1993 and IS: 13828 (1993) provide sizes and details of the
bands. When RC bands are used, the minimum thickness is 75mm, and at least two bars
of 8mm diameter are required, tied across with steel links of at least 6mm diameter at a
spacing of 150 mm centers. If there are four longitudinal bars, a thickness of 150 mm is
provided.

Fig 4.5 Reinforcement and bending details in R.C band

4.3.6 Importance of providing vertical reinforcement.

The vertical bars protect the wall from sliding as well as from collapsing in the weak
direction. Therefore, the vertical reinforcement should be properly embedded in the

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plinth masonry of foundations and roof slab or roof band so as to develop its tensile
strength in bond. It should be passing through the lintel bands and floor slabs or floor
level bands in all storeys. In wider wall piers, the vertical bars enhance their capability to
resist horizontal earthquake forces and delay the X-cracking. Embedding vertical
reinforcement bars in the edges of the wall piers and anchoring them in the foundation at
the bottom and in the roof band at the top, forces the slender masonry piers to undergo
bending instead of rocking. Adequate cross-sectional area of these vertical bars prevents
the bar from yielding in tension.

4.3.7 Reinforced concrete beam

The longitudinal and hoop reinforcement are provided as shown in the fig.4.6. The
longitudinal bars are anchored by bending it into the column. The hoop reinforcement is
provided in the form of stirrups and it is provided in such a way that the spacing will be
more in the centre and less at the ends.
The minimum diameter for longitudinal bars should be 12mm. longitudinal bars in beams
should be of mild steel, to help ensure that plastic hinges form in the beams rather than
column.

Fig 4.6 Beam reinforcement

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Beams sustain two basic types of failure:
(a) Flexural (or Bending) Failure: As the beam sags under increased loading, it can fail
in two possible ways. If relatively less steel on the tension face, the steel yields first and
redistribution occurs in the beam until eventually the concrete crushes in compression;
this is a ductile failure and hence is desirable. The ductile failure is characterized with
many vertical cracks starting from the stretched beam face, and going towards its mid-
depth.
(b) Shear Failure: A beam may also fail due to shearing action. A shear crack is inclined
at 45° to the horizontal; it develops at mid-depth near the support and grows towards the
top and bottom faces. Closed loop stirrups are provided to avoid such shearing action.
Shear damage occurs when the area of these stirrups is insufficient. Shear failure is
brittle, and therefore, shear failure.

Fig 4.7 Details of beam reinforcement. Fig4.8 Anchorage of beam bars in an

external joint

The requirements of stirrup in RC beams as per the Indian Standard IS: 13920-1993 is as
follows:
 The minimum diameter of stirrup must be 6mm. If the beams are more than 5m
long, it must be at least 8mm.
 Both ends of the vertical stirrups should be bent into a 135 0 hook and extended
sufficiently beyond this hook to ensure that the stirrup does not open out in an
earthquake (generally the length provided is 10 times diameter of the bar.)

24
  The maximum spacing of stirrups is less than half the depth of the beam should be
determined from calculations.
 For a length of twice the depth of the beam from the face of the column, an even
more stringent spacing of stirrups is specified, namely half the spacing mentioned
above.

4.3.7.1 Splicing and lap in beam

As per the Indian Standard IS: 13920-1993:
The longitudinal bars can be spliced, only if hoops are provided over the entire splice
length, at a spacing not exceeding 150 mm. Not more than 50 percent of the bars shall be
spliced at one section.
Laps should preferably not be made in regions of high stress, such as near beam-to-
column connections, as the lap length shall not be less than the bar development length in
tension.

4.3.8 Reinforced concrete column

Columns are the compression member which take the load from the beam and passes it
on to the ground. Therefore the columns that are required to resist earthquake forces must
be designed to prevent shear failure by a skillful selection of reinforcement.
Lap splices are provided only in the central half of the member length. It should be
proportioned as a tension splice. Hoops shall be provided over the entire splice length at
spacing not exceeding 150 mm centre to centre. Not more than 50 percent of the bars
should be spliced at one section. A rectangular hoop is a closed stirrup, having a 135”
hook with a 10 diameter extension (but not < 75 mm) at each that is embedded in the
confined core. Closely spaced ties must be provided at the two ends of the column over a
length not less than larger dimension of the column, one-sixth the column height or
450mm. Over the distance specified above and below a beam-column junction, the
vertical spacing of ties in columns should not exceed D/4 for where D is the smallest
dimension of the column (e.g., in a rectangular column, D is the length of the small side).

25
This spacing need not be less than 75mm nor more than 100mm. At other locations, ties
are spaced as per calculations but not more than D/2.
The minimum diameter for column longitudinal bars should be 12mm (high tensile steel).
The minimum diameter for column links should be 10mm, and minimum diameter for
supplementary ties should be 8mm.
The main three reasons behind providing closed horizontal ties are:
(i) They carry the horizontal shear forces induced by earthquakes, and thereby resist
diagonal shear cracks
(ii) They hold together the vertical bars and prevent them from excessively bending
outwards (buckling), and
(iii) The ends of the ties must be bent as 135° hooks. Such hook ends prevent opening of
loops and consequently buckling of concrete and buckling of vertical bars.

Fig.4.9 Column and joint detailing

4.3.9 Reinforced concrete beam-column joints

The beam-column joint is one of the most damage prone structural parts. To make the
structure stronger, the beams should fail before column i.e. strong column and weak
beam design. Beam bars bent in joint region do not carry tension force unless

26
straightened and hence the longitudinal bars of beam should not be cranked near the
joint
as shown in fig 4.10.
Under earthquake shaking, the beams adjoining a joint are subjected to moments in the
same (clockwise or counter-clockwise) direction. Under these moments, the top bars in
the beam-column joint are pulled in one direction and the bottom ones in the opposite
direction. These forces are balanced by bond stress developed between concrete and
steel in the joint region. If the column is not wide enough or if the strength of concrete in
the joint is low, there is insufficient grip of concrete on the steel bars. In such
circumstances, the bar slips inside the joint region, and beams loose their capacity to
carry load.
Columns, longitudinal beam bars need to be anchored into the column to ensure proper
gripping of bar in joint. The length of anchorage for a bar of grade Fe415 characteristic
tensile strength of 415MPa) is about 50 times its diameter. This length is measured from
the face of the column to the end of the bar anchored in the column.

Fig 4.10 Details of RC beam column joints.

4.3.10 Short columns

Poor behaviour of short columns is due to the fact that in an earthquake, a tall column and
a short column of same cross-section move horizontally by same amount. However, the
short column is stiffer as compared to the tall column, and it attracts larger earthquake

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force. If a short column is not adequately designed for such a large force, it can suffer
significant damage during an earthquake. This behaviour is called short column effect.
The damage in these short columns is often in the form of X-shaped cracking – this type
of damage of columns is due to shear failure.

4.12 Short columns

The Indian Standard IS: 13920-1993 for ductile detailing of RC structures requires
special confining reinforcement to be provided over the full height of columns that are
likely to sustain short column effect. The special confining reinforcement (i.e., closely
spaced closed ties) must extend beyond the short column into the columns vertically
above and below by a certain distance.

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5. CONCLUSION
The earthquakes cannot be predicted well in advance so that the people can take
necessary actions. The public has taken a greater interest in earthquake resistant design
than ever. Owners and public officials are showing more concerns about seismic hazards,
as they are not ready to take risk of loosing their life or assets. Overall, there is a demand
for a safer environment. The main objective of structural engineers must be to prevent
collapse of buildings and the consequent loss of life. Considerable attention should be
paid to school, hospitals, power stations, etc., where many people work at a time. These
buildings should be built stronger than ordinary houses. Hence, every structural engineer
has to have proper knowledge of earthquake analysis and design concept and make use of
it when required because “PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE”.

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6. REFERENCE:
1) IS 1893(Part 1) (2002), Indian standard code of practice for criteria for design of
earthquake resistant structures, Bureau of Indian Standards, New Delhi. Pg 6-10,
Pg19-22.
2) IS 13920 (1993), Indian standard code of practice for ductile detailing of
reinforced concrete structures subjected to seismic forces, Bureau of Indian
Standards, New Delhi. Pg 3-13.
3) IS 13828, (1993), Indian standard guidelines for improving earthquake resistance
of low-strength masonry buildings, Bureau of Indian Standards, New Delhi.
4) “Seismic detailing of RC beam column connections” by Jang Hoon Kim and John
B Mander, Structural engineering and mechanics (Dec 2000).
5) “Design and detailing aspects of RCC buildings for earthquake resistance” by
Dr.P.Suryanarayana, Civil engineering and construction review, Dec 2001 (pg 29-
31).
6) “Earthquake resistant design” by D.J.Dowrick, John Wiley & sons, 1987.
7) “Earthquake design practice for buildings” by David Key, Thomas telford,
London, 1988.
8) “How to build earthquake proof structures” by Dr.N.Subramanian, Civil
engineering and construction review, Apr 1994 (pg 39-42).

WEBSITES
1) www.nicee.org - IITK-BMTPC earthquake tips 1 to 24.
2) http://www.fema.gov/kids/quake.htm
3) http://neic.usgs.gov
4) http://thetech.org
5) http://peer.berkeley.edu
6) www.ideers.bris.ac.uk

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