On the Disadvantages of the NEHRP Soil Classification

Abstract

The study of the relationship of local ground conditions with the parameters of seismic vibrations carried out by the section of engineering seismology called seismic microzonation. In this branch of applied science radical changes have taken place at the end of the last century. The Commission on Seismic Safety of the National Institute of Building Sciences of the United States has developed new recommendations, which are significantly different from all that used in the world practice of anti-seismic construction. The main provisions of this NEHRP (National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program) classification adopted in many national building codes, including Eurocode 8. At the same time, a number of papers appeared in subsequent years criticizing the use of the NEHRP soil classification. This article examines in detail and, most importantly, comprehensively the shortcomings of the NEHRP classification.