16.39.

5 Bureau of Indian Standards for Earthquake Design

In our country, several major earthquakes have occurred in the Himalayan-
Nagalushai region, Indo-Gangetic Plain, Western India, Kutch and
Kathiawar regions. Taking into account seismic data from studies of these
Indian earthquakes, Bureau of Indian Standard first published IS 1893
“Recommendations for earthquake resistant design of structures” in 1962
and revised in 1966. Considering the local seismology, accepted level of
seismic risk, building topologies and materials and methods used in
construction, presently the Bureau of Indian Standards has the following
seismic codes:
11. IS 1893 (Part 1), 2002; Indian Standard Criteria for Earthquake
Resistant Design of Structures (5th Revision),

12. IS 1893 has other four parts: (a) Part 2 for liquid retaining tanks–
elevated and ground supported, (b) Part 3 for bridges and retaining walls,
(c) Part 4 for industrial structures including stack like structures and (d)
Part 5 for dams and embankments. However, they are yet to be finalised.
Hence, provisions of Part 1 will be read along with relevant clauses of IS
1893: 1984 for structures other than buildings.
13. IS 4326: 1993, Indian Standard Code of Practice for Earthquake
Resistant Design and Construction of Buildings, (2nd Revision),

14. IS 13827: 1993, Indian Standard Guidelines for Improving

Earthquake Resistance of Earthen Buildings,

15. IS 13828: 1993, Indian Standard Guidelines for Improving

Earthquake Resistance of Low Strength Masonary Buildings,

16. IS 13920: 1993, Indian Standard Code of Practice for Ductile

Detailing of Reinforced Concrete Structures Subjected to Seismic Forces,
and

17. IS 13935: 1993, Indian Standard Guidelines for Repair and Seismic
Strengthening of Buildings.

The regulations of these standards will not result in structures having no

damage during earthquake of all magnitudes. However, the regulations
shall ensure that, as far as possible, structures will be able to respond
 without structural damage to shocks of moderate intensities and without
total collapse to shocks of heavy intensities.

116.39.6 General Principles of Earthquake Resistant Design of Structures

1a) Ground motion

The characteristic parameters like intensity, duration etc. of seismic ground

vibrations depend upon the magnitude of the earthquake, its depth of
focus, distance from the epicentre, properties of soil or medium
through which the seismic waves travel and the soil strata where the
structure stands. The random earthquake motions can be resolved in
any three mutually perpendicular directions. The horizontal direction
is normally the prominent direction. Vertical acceleration is
considered in large-span structures.
The response of a structure to ground vibrations depends on the nature of
foundation soil, form, material, size and mode of construction of
structures and the duration and characteristics of ground motion.
1(b) Assumptions

The following are the assumptions in the earthquake resistant design of

structures:
11. Impulsive ground motions of earthquake are complex, irregular in
character, changing in period and time and of short duration. They,
therefore, may not cause resonance as visualised under steady-state
sinusoidal excitations, except in tall structures founded on deep soft
soils.

12. Wind, maximum flood or maximum sea waves will not occur
simultaneously with the earthquake.

13. For static analysis, elastic modulus of materials shall be taken

unless otherwise mentioned.
16.39.10 Objectives of Earthquake Resistant Design of Structures
It is uneconomical to design structures to withstand major earthquakes
elastically. Therefore, the trend of the design is that the structure should have
sufficient strength and ductility to withstand large tremors elastically. For
this the interconnections of the members must be designed particularly to
ensure sufficient ductility.
Accordingly, the design approach adopted in IS 1893 (Part 1): 2002 is stated
in cl 6.1.3 of the standard which is as follows:
The design approach is to ensure the following:
1(a) that structures possess at least a minimum strength to withstand
minor earthquakes (〈DBE), which occur frequently, without damage;

1(b) that structures resist moderate earthquakes (DBE) without significant

structural damage though some non-structural damage may occur; and

1(c) that structures withstand major earthquakes (MCE) without collapse.

116.40.8 Design for Ductility

The objectives of the ductile design of reinforced concrete members

are to ensure both strength and ductility for the designed structures or
members. Strength of members can be assured by proper design of the
sections following limit state method. However, for ensuring ductility,
specific recommendations are to be followed as given in IS 13920:1993
regarding the materials, dimensions, minimum and maximum percentages of
reinforcement. Further, detailing of reinforcement plays an important role.
Accordingly, some of the major steps to be followed in the design are given
below which will ensure sufficient ductility in the design.

What are Earthquakes?

Earthquakes are powerful manifestations of sudden releases of strain energy

accumalatead during extensive time intervals. They radiate seismic waves of
various types which propogate in all directions through the Earth's interior.
The passage of seismic waves through rocks
cause shaking that we feel as earthquakes
What is a fault?

A fault is a fracture having appreciable movement parallel to the plane of the

fracture. Faults are of practical importance becuase they generate
earthquakaes. It is important to understand faults for designing the ling-term
stability of dams, bridges, buildings, power plans etc. We need to understand
the basic anatomy of faults, to appreciate their behaviour. The most obvious
feature related to faulting is the displacement of marker layers along the
actual movement surface called the fault plane.

Can earthquakes be predicted?

No. at least not their time of occurrence. However earthquake prone areas
can be identified and one can estimate the intensity of the earthquake, as and
when they would occur, in advance, to a fair degree of accuracy.

How does an earthquake damage buildings?

Ground Shaking
This is the most common and the principal cause of earthquake – induced
damage. As the earth vibrates the building on the ground starts responding to
the vibration in varying degrees depending upon how these have been
designed and constructed.

Ground Failure

There are four types of ground failures i.e., fault, landslides, settlement and
soil liquefaction.
In case of fault, the ground ruptures along a fault zone. This rapture may be
very limited or may extend over hundreds of kilometers, and can be
horizontal, vertical or both. A building, which was directly standing on this
fault will be severely damaged. Landslides can destroy a building whereas
settlement would only damage the building.
Soil Liquefaction is a phenomenon where low density saturated sands of
relatively uniform size starts behaving like a jelly with no strength to hold a
building up, and the building just sinks in or gets tilted on one side. The
phenomenon of liquefaction is particularly important for dams, bridges,
underground pipelines and buildings close to river banks, sea shore or large
lakes.

Tsunamis
These are seismic seaves and are generally produced by a sudden movement
of the ocean floor. The water waves rush towards land suddenly and with
great velocity causing havoc on coastal areas.

Fire

Earthquake does not itself cause fire, however structures can catch fire as a
consequence of damages caused by earthquake. In such cases often it is
difficult to control fire as earthquake can also cause damage to water supply
as well as cause traffic jams making access by fire fighting personnel and
equipment difficult.

Can structures be made earthquake proof?

Yes. Structures can be designed and constructed to withstand a particular

intensity of earthquake. The cost of making structures earthquake proof is
high. Therefore, only some specific types of structures such as atomic power
stations, dams, refineries where consequences of a damage to the structures
are serious need be designed to make them earthquake proof, normal
residential building can be made earthquake resistant

What is an earthquake resistant structure?

It is a structure which does not collapse during an earthquake though, at

times, it may suffer damage. The idea is to prevent the structure from
collapsing so that lives and valuable kept in the structure are saved. The
damaged part can be repaired at a fraction of the cost that one would have to
incur in making the structures earthquake proof

How does one make a structure earthquake resistant?

The exact method depends upon the type of the building being designed,
however there are some general principles, which are followed. These are:

Structures should not be brittle. It should not collapse suddenly.

Rather it should be tough and should be able to deflect or deform
considerably.

Structures should not be brittle. It should not collapse suddenly.

Rather it should be tough and should be able to deflect or deform
considerably.
Resisting elements such as bracing or shear walls must be provided
evenly throughout the building, in both directions, side-to-side as well
as top to bottom

All elements such as walls and the roof are tied together to retain
integrity of the structure during shaking of the structure because of
the earthquake. Pathways are provided in the building to enable
forces to get transmitted across connections and thereby separation
of parts is prevented.

Special care is taken of the foundation. It is tied together well as well

tied firmly with the walls

Material used during construction should be of good quality and

should be protected from debilitating effects of rain, sun, insects etc

Can an existing structure be made earthquake resistant?

Yes and the process is called retrofitting.

Are there any B.I.S. Standards on making structures earthquakes

resistant?

Are high-rise buildings unsafe?

Not necessarily. Earthquake resistant high-rise buildings are common in

Japan and USA. In India too the requisite expertise is available, there are
several earthquake resistant structures. The catch is in the design and
construction.

What should the occupants of a building do during earthquake?

Earthquake do not cause death – buildings do. Falling heavy objects or

collapsing of walls and roofs hurt people. The collapsing walls and the
vibrations can cause short circuiting of live electric wires and cause electric
fires. A burning gas stove left to itself too can cause fire. Hence the
following steps are advised:

Keep calm
Keep away from windows, doors, almirahs, mirrors, balaconies etc.
Stay away from falling bricks or stones and try to get under a study table or
a cot to avoid getting hurt by falling objects
Switch off electric connections and gas connections
If in open space avoid going near a tall building, street light lamppost,
chimney, hoardings etc. These may fall upon you.

How does one know whether a location is seismically active or not, and
the nature of the threat?

Why are Earthquakes measured differently by different people?

The intensity of the earthquake is valued according to the Richter Scale

(Charles Francis Richter scale (Charles Francis Richter, 1900-1985) or the
modified Mercalli scale (Giuseppe Mercalli scale (Giuseppe Mercalli, 1850-
1914). The first scale furnishes an evaluation (magnitude) of the quantity of
freed energy, while the seconds scale assigns a degree to the effects on the
environment. Thus although each earthquake has a unique Magnitude, its
effect will vary greatly according to distance, ground conditions,
construction standards and other factors which are expressed in Mercalli
Intensity Scale.

Rating the Intensity of an earthquake’s effects does not require any

instrumental measurements. Thus seismologists can use newspaper accounts,
diaries and other historical records to make intensity ratings of past
earthquakes, for which there are no instrumental recordings. This form of
rating also helps communicate the risks to habitations more clearly.

Such research helps promote our understanding of the earthquake history of

a religion, and estimate future hazards

The basics that need to be kept in mind while designing earthquake-

resistant structures are:
a)To reduce amplitude of seismic vibration acting on the structure.

b)To extend the period of oscillation of a building / structure to control

its response.

For those who came in late, my previous article on earthquake

resistant design philosophy and precautionary measures mentioned
how the earthquake propagates from focal depth to the epicentre of
earth’s crust; how the vibrations take place in a structure and how to
analyse Earthquake resistant structural design.

Before we

2.4 Damping -The ecfect of energy dissipationin reducing the successive

amplitude of vibrationsof a structure displaced from its position of static
equilibrium is called damping and is expressed asa percentage of critical
damping.
2.5 Epicentre - The point on the earth’s surface located at the source or
vertically above the source of such seismic waves originating from an
earthquake is known as epicentre and its location is described by its latitude
and longitude.
2.6 Focus - The source propagating seismic waves is called focus of the
earthquake and is also designated as hypocentre. The depth of the source
(focus) below the earth’s surface is referredto as focal depth.
2.7 Intensity of Earthquake - The intensity of an earthquake at a place is a
measure of the degree of shaking caused during the earthquake and thus
charactcrises the erects of the earthquake
3. GENERAL PRINCIPLES AND DESIGN
CRITERIA
a) Ground vibrates (moves) in all directions during earthquakes. The
horizontal components of the ground motion is generally more intense than
that of vertical components during strong earthquakes. However, the Code
emphasizes that in case of structures where stability is a criterion for design,
vertical seismic forces must be considered.
.

Earthquakes do not kill people, but actually people are killed by the collapse
of badly designed and constructed buildings. But, with the materials
available in our inventory, it is not unfeasible to construct a 100%
earthquake-resistant building.
Simulation of Responses of High-rise Buildings under Earthquakes

To establish comprehensive seismic design method, experimental

information on the collapse behavior of structures is of necessity.
Experimental techniques commonly employed are quasi-static test, in
which a structural model is loaded slowly in accordance with a
specified load history, and shake table test, in which a structural model
is vibrated on a shaking table. In addition, a testing procedure called
the on-line test is a promising alternative. According to this technique,
experimental testing on a structural model is conducted in conjunction
with numerical analyses wherein experimental and numerical
information is exchanged continuously.

The on-line test is now extensively developed. It is used along with

the substructure technique, in which a part of a structure is tested
under real-time loading while the behavior of the other parts of the
structure is simulated through dynamic analysis. An earthquake
response simulation system, which can deal with structures whose
behavior depends strongly on the velocity, is also developed.

Building designed to prevent total collapse, preserve life, and minimize

damage in case of an earthquake or tremor. Earthquakes exert lateral as well
as vertical forces, and a structure's response to their random, often sudden
motions is a complex task that is just beginning to be understood.
Earthquake-resistant structures absorb and dissipate seismically induced
motion through a combination of means: damping decreases the amplitude
of oscillations of a vibrating structure, while ductile materials (e.g., steel)
can withstand considerable inelastic deformation. If a skyscraper has too
flexible a structure, then tremendous swaying in its upper floors can develop
during an earthquake. Care must be taken to provide built-in tolerance for
some structural damage, resist lateral loading through stiffeners (diagonal
sway bracing), and allow areas of the building to move somewhat
independently.