Publisher's Synopsis
The design of structures resistant to seismic events is an important field in the structural engineering, because it reduces both the loss of lives and the economic damages that earthquakes can produce. The accuracy and the robustness of the design of structures resistant to seismic events are still not completely guaranteed. In order to define rules in the design codes to design earthquake-resistant structures, several scholars have investigated the probability of a seismic event to occur in a specific location and its characteristics, like the intensity and the return time (e.g. frequency). Indeed, the return time and the characteristics of the earthquakes occurring in a given area determine the dynamic loads exciting a structure built in that area for its whole lifetime. The structural response to ground motion is function of the seismological parameters of the area where the earthquake occurs and the structure is built, in addition to the kind of structure. The earthquake characteristics related to the seismological parameters that strongly influence the structural response are the earthquake intensity, the rupture type and the epicentral distance. This leads to define the seismic dynamic loads exciting a structure as function of these seismological parameters. Unfortunately, the seismological parameters are not very useful in structural design. Instead, peak amplitude, frequency content, energy content and duration of the event are the characteristics of the earthquakes useful to structural design. Seismology, Earthquake Engineering and Structural Engineering mentions main requirements for earthquake engineering to find rational design solutions. The purpose of this chapter is to sketch the state of the art in dam engineering, as based on lessons learnt from seismic events. Although the great advance in science and technology, currently there is no available methodology to predict an earthquake. One of the most important task in seismology is the develop of methodologies that allow predict and simulate strong ground motions. High accelerations are produced by earthquakes of large magnitude in urban areas located in relative close proximity to seismic sources. Strong ground motions allows to generate models that are necessary to understand the seismic source and to generate response spectra, both useful information in structural engineering. Seismic loss estimation is an expertise provided by earthquake engineering and the manner in which it can be employed in the processes of assessing seismic loss and managing the financial and economic risk associated with earthquakes through more beneficial retrofit methods will be discussed. The methodology provides a useful tool for comparing different engineering alternatives from a seismic-risk-point of view based on a Performance Based Earthquake Engineering (PBEE) framework. The design of structures resistant to seismic events is an important field in the structural engineering, because it reduces both the loss of lives and the economic damages that earthquakes can produce. The accuracy and the robustness of the design of structures resistant to seismic events are still not completely guaranteed. In order to define rules in the design codes to design earthquake-resistant structures, several scholars have investigated the probability of a seismic event to occur in a specific location and its characteristics, like the intensity and the return time (e.g. frequency). Indeed, the return time and the characteristics of the earthquakes occurring in a given area determine the dynamic loads exciting a structure built in that area for its whole lifetime. The structural response to ground motion is function of the seismological parameters of the area where the earthquake occurs and the structure is built, in addition to the kind of structure. The earthquake characteristics related to the seismological parameters that strongly influence the structural response are the earthquake intensity, the rupture type and the epicentral distance. This leads to define the seismic dynamic loads exciting a structure as function of these seismological parameters. Unfortunately, the seismological parameters are not very useful in structural design. Instead, peak amplitude, frequency content, energy content and duration of the event are the characteristics of the earthquakes useful to structural design. Seismology, Earthquake Engineering and Structural Engineering mentions main requirements for earthquake engineering to find rational design solutions. The purpose of this chapter is to sketch the state of the art in dam engineering, as based on lessons learnt from seismic events. Although the great advance in science and technology, currently there is no available methodology to predict an earthquake. One of the most important task in seismology is the develop of methodologies that allow predict and simulate strong ground motions. High accelerations are produced by earthquakes of large magnitude in urban areas located in relative close proximity to seismic sources. Strong ground motions allows to generate models that are necessary to understand the seismic source and to generate response spectra, both useful information in structural engineering. Seismic loss estimation is an expertise provided by earthquake engineering and the manner in which it can be employed in the processes of assessing seismic loss and managing the financial and economic risk associated with earthquakes through more beneficial retrofit methods will be discussed. The methodology provides a useful tool for comparing different engineering alternatives from a seismic-risk-point of view based on a Performance Based Earthquake Engineering (PBEE) framework. The design of structures resistant to seismic events is an important field in the structural engineering, because it reduces both the loss of lives and the economic damages that earthquakes can produce. The accuracy and the robustness of the design of structures resistant to seismic events are still not completely guaranteed. In order to define rules in the design codes to design earthquake-resistant structures, several scholars have investigated the probability of a seismic event to occur in a specific location and its characteristics, like the intensity and the return time (e.g. frequency). Indeed, the return time and the characteristics of the earthquakes occurring in a given area determine the dynamic loads exciting a structure built in that area for its whole lifetime. The structural response to ground motion is function of the seismological parameters of the area where the earthquake occurs and the structure is built, in addition to the kind of structure. The earthquake characteristics related to the seismological parameters that strongly influence the structural response are the earthquake intensity, the rupture type and the epicentral distance. This leads to define the seismic dynamic loads exciting a structure as function of these seismological parameters. Unfortunately, the seismological parameters are not very useful in structural design. Instead, peak amplitude, frequency content, energy content and duration of the event are the characteristics of the earthquakes useful to structural design. Seismology, Earthquake Engineering and Structural Engineering mentions main requirements for earthquake engineering to find rational design solutions. The purpose of this chapter is to sketch the state of the art in dam engineering, as based on lessons learnt from seismic events. Although the great advance in science and technology, currently there is no available methodology to predict an earthquake. One of the most important task in seismology is the develop of methodologies that allow predict and simulate strong ground motions. High accelerations are produced by earthquakes of large magnitude in urban areas located in relative close proximity to seismic sources. Strong ground motions allows to generate models that are necessary to understand the seismic source and to generate response spectra, both useful information in structural engineering. Seismic loss estimation is an expertise provided by earthquake engineering and the manner in which it can be employed in the processes of assessing seismic loss and managing the financial and economic risk associated with earthquakes through more beneficial retrofit methods will be discussed. The methodology provides a useful tool for comparing different engineering alternatives from a seismic-risk-point of view based on a Performance Based Earthquake Engineering (PBEE) framework. The design of structures resistant to seismic events is an important field in the structural engineering, because it reduces both the loss of lives and the economic damages that earthquakes can produce. The accuracy and the robustness of the design of structures resistant to seismic events are still not completely guaranteed. In order to define rules in the design codes to design earthquake-resistant structures, several scholars have investigated the probability of a seismic event to occur in a specific location and its characteristics, like the intensity and the return time (e.g. frequency). Indeed, the return time and the characteristics of the earthquakes occurring in a given area determine the dynamic loads exciting a structure built in that area for its whole lifetime. The structural response to ground motion is function of the seismological parameters of the area where the earthquake occurs and the structure is built, in addition to the kind of structure. The earthquake characteristics related to the seismological parameters that strongly influence the structural response are the earthquake intensity, the rupture type and the epicentral distance. This leads to define the seismic dynamic loads exciting a structure as function of these seismological parameters. Unfortunately, the seismological parameters are not very useful in structural design.
