Abstract
This paper presents and discusses a number of important topics which affect the determination of seismic design forces in a loading code. These range broadly from seismic hazard through to design philosophy and include the following aspects: influence of uncertainty in determining seismic hazard, seismic hazard parameters, site effects, probability level of design ground motions, role of deformations in seismic design, performance expectations and level of protection. The discussion makes frequent reference to the seismic provisions of both the National Building Code of Canada (1995) and the New Zealand Loading Standard (1992). Also, comparisons are made of seismic hazard and seismic design forces for several Canadian and New Zealand cities.
Highlights
The author was a Visiting Erskine Fellow at the University of Canterbury from January through May 1995. In that period he was invited by the New Zealand National Society of Earthquake Engineering to present a lecture based on his experience in developing seismic provisions for the National Building Code of Canada (NBCC)
While the limitations of peak ground acceleration (PGA) as a measure of the damage potential of strong seismic ground motions have been recognized for some time, it continues to be given an inappropriate level of importance in earthquake engineering
It is of interest to review quickly the manner in which seismic hazard information has been used in the seismic provisions of the NBCC, paralleling the history of hazard mapping outlined earlier in this paper
Summary
The author was a Visiting Erskine Fellow at the University of Canterbury from January through May 1995. In that period he was invited by the New Zealand National Society of Earthquake Engineering to present a lecture based on his experience in developing seismic provisions for the National Building Code of Canada (NBCC). The author has been a member of CANCEE since 1968 and was Chairman from 1975 to 1981 This code development experience, including a substantial amount of related research as well as numerous discussions with earthquake engineers in various countries, have led to a number of perspectives concerning the determination of seismic design forces; these perspectives form the basis for this paper. The discussion of the various topics contains frequent references both to the seismic provisions of the 1995 edition of the NBCC [Associate Committee on the National Building Code] and to the earthquake provisions of the 1992 New Zealand Loading Standard (NZS)[Standards New Zealand]. Professor of Civil Engineering, McMaster University, Ontario, Canada. 1995 NZNSEE Travelling Lecturer (Member)
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