Abstract
This paper traces the development of seismic structural design in New Zealand since the 1931 Hawke’s Bay Earthquake, with emphasis on reinforced concrete buildings. From the mainly rigid and brittle unreinforced masonry structures which behaved so poorly in the 1931 earthquake through the development of flexible ductile seismic design and base (seismic) isolation of the 60’s to 80’s to today where the structural engineer is expected to design and construct a building which will not only remain standing with little damage but will be operational a short time after the major earthquake. In some ways the structural design aims and objectives have turned full circle in the intervening 75 years. We have gone from brittle rigid structures through a period where flexibility was paramount to now where flexibility is limited and greater lateral stiffnesses are required, but with ductile elements in the structure. This paper traces the efforts of New Zealand’s pre-eminent structural engineers and scientists to make seismic design techniques world leading. In most facets they have been successful (in my view) but as I will say more than once, only time will tell!
Highlights
1.1 In the beginning: after the earthquakeBefore the 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake there was nothing in New Zealand in the way of seismic provisions for the design of structures
This reinforced concrete ductile frame was designed with a “belt and braces” approach with near full ductile detailing in the plastic hinge zone (PHZ) and beam-column joints, even though dynamic inelastic analyses had shown that plastic hinging was unlikely even when the building experienced the assumed “maximum credible earthquake”, explained by Megget (1978)
Phenomenal progress has been made in earthquake Loading Standards and the seismic design and detailing of structures since the massive Hawke’s Bay earthquake of 75 years ago
Summary
Before the 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake there was nothing in New Zealand in the way of seismic provisions for the design of structures. During the mid-70’s a study group of the NZNSEE was set up to produce recommendations for the design and detailing of ductile structures culminating in a series of papers published on frames in the Bulletin in 1977 and on ductile walls in 1980 These recommendations covered much of the research completed in NZ and overseas over the previous decade, especially research carried out at Canterbury and Auckland Universities and at the Ministry of Works Central Laboratory by a large number of postgraduate students and staff under the supervision of Professors Park and Paulay and Drs Nigel Priestley (Fellow) and Richard Fenwick (Life Member). Much of this work was done by Richard Fenwick and Barry Davidson at Auckland University (Fenwick et al 1992)
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