Base isolation, also known as seismic base isolation, is one of the most popular means of protecting a structure against earthquake forces. It is a collection of structural elements which should substantially decouple a superstructure from its substructure resting on a shaking ground thus protecting building and bridge structure’s integrity.Base isolation is the most powerful…
There are several methods exist to define the seismic performance levels of reinforced concrete (RC) structures. Among these methods, the nonlinear dynamic and the static analyses in which both methods involve sophisticated computational procedures because of the non-linear behaviour of the RCcomposite materials. In order to simplify these analyses for engineers, different suggested guidelines such as FEMA-356 (Federal…
The Confederation Bridge, which was opened for traffic in June 1997, is 12,910 m long and is one of the longest reinforced concrete bridges built over water in the world. The bridge crosses the Northumberland Strait in eastern Canada and connects the province of Prince Edward Island and the province of New Brunswick. The bridge…
Historical, religious and monumental structures and their susceptibility to damage in recent earthqaukes in Turkey are presented and discussed in this chapter. Turkey has a very large number of historical structures and is located in one of the most seismically active regions of the world. Some of these historical and monumental masonry and reinforced concrete…
The damages and loses caused by earthquakes are increased as urbanization increased in past decades. However, scientists currently cannot predict the time, location and magnitude of an earthquake accurately. Currently, the earthquake predictions are not yet reliable, so long-term probabilistic earthquake hazard analysis and rapid post-earthquake early warning are two alternative solutions to reduce potential…
Essentially, disasters are human-made. For a catastrophic event, whether precipitated by natural phenomena or human activities, assumes the state of a disaster when the community or society affected fails to cope. Earthquake hazards themselves do not necessarily lead to disasters, however intense, inevitable or unpredictable, translate to disasters only to the extent that the population…
The new complex method of seismic hazard assessment that resulted in creation of the probabilistic maps of seismic microzonation is presented in this chapter. To study seismicity and analyze seismic hazard of the territory the following databases are formed: macroseismic, seismologic databases and the database of possible seismic source zones (or potential seismic sources –…
As one of the most devastating natural events, earthquakes impose economic challenges on communities and governments. The number of human and economic assets at risk is growing as megacities and urban areas develop all over the world. This increasing risk has been plotted in the damage and loss reports after the great earthquakes. The 1975…
Earthquake construction is an important discipline that contributes to minimizing damage by using pile foundations, base isolation, and other techniques. Evaluation of soil conditions is also important. What Is Earthquake Construction? Earthquake construction ensures that structures resist earthquake shocks by the integration of seismic designs throughout their expected life, in conformity with the building codes…