Earthquake Engineering - Assignment

Running head: EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING
EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING
Name of the Student
Name of the university
Author note

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Background............................................................................................................................2
Aims and objectives of the research work.............................................................................2
Research Questions................................................................................................................2
Literature Review.......................................................................................................................3
Research Methodology...............................................................................................................5
Milestones in the work...............................................................................................................9
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................9
References................................................................................................................................10

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Introduction
Background
With the growth of population there is increasing need of houses and some areas
which are earthquake prone are often avoided being tagged as dangerous locations. But the
condition is such that even in those areas buildings have to be built due to the rapidly
growing population. Thus civil engineers are thinking of building structures that are
earthquake resistant. The main objective of the engineers is to come up with various solutions
that can help in reducing the seismic vulnerabilities of the structures ensuring safety of the
people. There have been significant contributions to the research addressing the site-specific
requirements in the earthquake resistant design of the buildings or structures. In this paper,
the possible contributions of civil engineering to build earthquake resistant structures will be
analyzed. The ways in which these structures can be made earthquake resistant will be
discussed and the extent of these measures to save structures from earthquake will also be
considered.
Aims and objectives of the research work
The main aim of this research is to analyze the possible ways in which civil
engineering skills can be made use of to build earthquake resistant buildings.
The objectives of the research are as follows:
1. To find out the ways in which civil engineering skills can be used to build earthquake
resistant structures.
2. To analyze how effective are these in saving the buildings from earthquake.
Research Questions
The research questions are given below:

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1. What are the ways in which civil engineering skills can be made use of to build earthquake
resistant structures?
2. How effective will these techniques be in saving structures from earthquakes?
Literature Review
As per the research done by Muneo (2018), protecting the structures from natural
hazards such as earthquakes is a vital issue and there have been many efforts to come up with
appropriate solutions to these situations. Innovative technologies are being thought of to
handle situations and develop hazard resilient environment. The ongoing research trends in
case of earthquake engineering is a matter of concern as in order to support the growing
population, the earth prone areas will have to be taken as well. Civil engineers are focusing
on newly constructed steel, composite structures, reinforced concrete structures and
upgrading issues of existing structures. The retrofitting techniques are being accepted as a
solution and novel passive along with semi-active control systems in steel and reinforced
concrete structures are being implemented (Koliou and Filiatrault 2017). Attention is being
given to the experimental portions of articles that can certainly be useful for the practicing
design engineers to analyze the customary structures which are subjected to loading of
earthquake. Studies suggest that modern devices such as semi-active vibration control device
and magneto rheological damper with varying strokes are being used to check the earthquake
resistance of structures. But the problem is not taking measures rather building structures that
can face these earthquakes. The problem is to ensure people that they will be totally safe in
that area as well. As per the research done by Cheng (2017), appraisal of over strength as
well as ductility factors in steel moment resisting frame is a vital factor and is necessary in
some countries such as India.

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As per the research done by Boulanger and Ziotopoulou (2015), in order to design
earthquake resistant buildings, the engineers need to study the various effects of seismic zone
factors (Z) and storey height on a factor of response reduction. Deficient construction
practices are result of destruction of buildings even in a less magnitude earthquake. The
already built structures at the earthquake prone sites need to be retrofitted as well as
rehabilitated with techniques that can bring in improvisations in the seismic performance.
With advancements in technology the performance of the retrofitted concrete structures are
being discussed. The structures are fit with control devices that are passive in nature. In order
to reduce the seismic vibration response of the structures, dynamic response control devices
are being employed. The seismic performances of retrofitted concrete structures are being
improved by making use of X-plate metallic dampers made up of steel and aluminium.
Genetic algorithm has been made use of to bring in optimizations (Elnashai and Di Sarno
2015). These algorithms help in finding out various ways in which the dampers can be placed
spatially in a specific structure or building so that the cost is minimized and the effectiveness
of seismic response reduction is kept intact. Friction dampers can also be made use of to
bring in reductions in the damage induced in the structural frames due to earthquakes. The
structural damages caused by the earthquakes can be attributed to the dynamic properties of
damper.
As per the research done by Jia (2016), engineers need to analyze the structural
failures in the damaged buildings so that they can come up with measures or techniques that
can mitigate the same. The research in this case will be dynamic as failure mechanisms are
different for different materials and different types of structures. The structures can be
grouped according to the construction materials that have been used mainly steel and
concrete. For example the two major lateral force-resisting structures are moment-resisting
frames and the braced frames. In case of the moment resisting frames beam-column joint

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failures are said to as the most frequently observed damage. On the other hand in case of the
braced frames shock absorption under dynamic impact can be said to be negligible (Preti,
Migliorati and Giuriani 2015). The damage done to concentric braced frames of Oviatt
Library Annex in California proves that these frames lack in shock absorbing properties. The
hybrid eccentric braced frames offering improved shock absorption properties are being taken
as the alternatives for the concrete braced frames. The reinforced-concrete moment-resisting
frame has been found to be the most vulnerable to the earthquakes. In order to be safe from
the earthquakes, it is required that the structures are built according to the codes laid down by
the local and national authorities and that these should comply with the local regulations at
any cost. Even after complying with rules and regulation structures are getting damaged and
there comes the part of engineers to analyze the causes and come up with measures that can
help in strengthening the structures.
As per the research done by Hariri-Ardebili (2015), modifications to the internal
design forces that include the column loads and forces in braces along with the connections
are among some of the attempts that are made to bring in improvements in the design value.
It has been found that the design values stem from the unrealistic and low seismic design
forces that are applied to the main structures. There are various guidelines that help designers
in modifying values while they are analyzing the structures. The allowable stress and load on
the structures need to be analyzed well so that the structures built thereafter can be
earthquake resistant. Earthquake design data include seismic importance factor, site class,
spectral response coefficients, design base shear, seismic design category and many more
things that are essential to construct earthquake resistant buildings.

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Research Methodology
The research methodology is a theoretical and systematic analysis of methods which
are applicable within a specific field of study. The research methodology includes theoretical
analysis of the methods and the principles that is related with a knowledge branch.
The current research is regarding earthquake engineering. For performing a research
there are mainly two types of research methods. These research methods are the quantitative
research method and qualitative research method. From the name itself it is assessed that
quantitative method is a typical type of research method in which, the research is done on
quantity information which includes figures and numbers. The qualitative type of research
method is another research method in which the research is performed depending on the
information quality which includes sentences or words (Flick 2015). Most of the researches
are done either using qualitative research methods or by using quantitative research methods
or both of the research methods can be used at the same time for the research purpose.
Considering quantitative type of research method it utilizes a large size of sample data to
reach at the conclusion. In this case exploring the data is not possible while this research
method is used. The qualitative type of research method is useful in such of the cases where
detailed understanding and research is required. Also, this type of research is very much
useful if the sample size of the data is very much small.
In the current aspect this research utilizes a qualitative type of research methodology
as detailed data analysis is required in this aspect. Several of important questions need to be
analyzed deeply regarding the earthquakes and for this reason, qualitative type of research
methodology is the appropriate one (Kumar 2019). Also, for performing the current research
a literature survey will be used. The quantitative type of research is not appropriate when

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using the literature survey. Thus, due to this reasons, qualitative type of research
methodology has been used in this case.
Data Collection:
For this particular type of research qualitative type of research methods will be used.
Thus, for this research data will be collected from secondary type of data sources. The
secondary type of data source is something that is collected by some individuals other than
the author or the user. Means data is collected some type of source that already exists. No
new research is done while using the secondary type of data sources. Specifically for this
research the data will be collected by performing a literature survey (Bresler and Stake 2017).
In this literature survey important analysis that are already done by the authors will be
assessed and depending on the gathered data from the literature survey conclusion of this
research will be provided.
Data Analysis:
Data analysis is also an important part for the performing the research in an
appropriate way. Here, the research will be done using the qualitative type of research
method. As, qualitative type of research will be used five important steps will be followed for
performing the data analysis part (Walliman 2017). In the first step of this data analysis
process first the gathered data will be prepare and will be organized. In this aspect important
notes and documents will be gathered. Source of this collected data will be gathered and any
of the other information will be prioritized which can be helpful for the analysis of the data.
In the second phase of data analysis the gathered data will be reviewed and will be
explored. In this phase it is important for the researcher to read the data and the reading might
need to be done several of times to understand the actual meaning of the collected data

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(Mohajan 2018). Here, the researcher can create his/her own notes regarding review of the
data.
The third step of data analysis is the creating initial codes. In this case the researcher
needs to point out the important data from the overall gathered data. Here the main aim is
connecting the research topic with the gathered data.
The fourth step that is associated with the data analysis is review of the developed
codes that is already done in the previous step (Mohajan 2018). The main aim of this data
analysis phase is revising the actual codes and combining it into themes. In this phase
recurring themes, opinions and beliefs will be identified.
In the last section of the data analysis the ultimate result needs to be presented. In this
section from the results of the data analysis purpose of the study and important content that
need to be included is presented to the audiences.
Ethical Consideration:
While performing the research it is important that the research is done ethically. Thus,
to follow this there are several of ethical decisions that need to be consider here. In the
following section the ethical consideration that is related with the current research is
discussed.
 While the research is performed it needs to be ensured that the researcher is not
biased regarding choosing the literature survey sources.
 The researcher who is actually performing the research is having a great amount of
power. Thus, the researcher can easily modify the actual outcome of the research. So,
in this case it needs to be ensured that this type of issue does not occurs while
performing the research.

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 While performing the qualitative type of research the researcher needs to use various
types of research instruments. If this research instruments are not used in proper way
it can actually affect the data that is being collected for the research, and in this way
the outcome of the research will be modified. Thus, this is another ethical
consideration in this case and here it needs to be ensured that this type of mistakes
does not occur during the execution of the research (Taherdoost 2016).
 The qualitative type of researchers is reflective in nature. Thus, cultural attributes of
the researcher can easily affect the collected data. So, the researcher needs to ensure
that the collected data does not get modified due to the cultural attributes of the
researcher. Also, confidentiality needs to be ensured for any individual who
participated in this research.
Milestones in the work
Tasks Time required
Topic selection 0-1 week
Literature review 2-4 weeks
Collection of data 4-7 weeks
Analysis of data 7-9 weeks
Final thesis 10-13 weeks
Conclusion
From the above discussion it is clear that, engineers need to come up with some
solutions to earthquake designs so that no area is left out tagged dangerous. The success of
this will be realized if the structures built in the earthquake prone areas are able to withstand
the natural forces. The techniques require modernization and proper testing as theses involve

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people. The existing methods and techniques need to be analyzed for loopholes so that these
can be corrected. The examples of the structures that have faced damaged even after
inculcating earthquake designs can help the engineers to understand that area where they
failed and this can be checked accordingly. Thus, it can be concluded that earthquake
resistant structures can be build if proper planning and modern techniques are made use of.

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References
Boulanger, R.W. and Ziotopoulou, K., 2015. PM4Sand (Version 3): A sand plasticity model
for earthquake engineering applications. Center for Geotechnical Modeling Report No.
UCD/CGM-15/01, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of
California, Davis, Calif.
Bresler, L. and Stake, R.E., 2017. Qualitative research methodology in music education.
In Critical Essays in Music Education (pp. 113-128). Routledge.
Cheng, F.Y., 2017. Matrix analysis of structural dynamics: applications and earthquake
engineering. CRC Press.
Elnashai, A.S. and Di Sarno, L., 2015. Fundamentals of earthquake engineering: from source
to fragility. John Wiley & Sons.
Flick, U., 2015. Introducing research methodology: A beginner's guide to doing a research
project. Sage.
Hariri-Ardebili, M.A., 2015. Performance based earthquake engineering of concrete
dams (Doctoral dissertation, University of Colorado at Boulder).
Jia, J., 2016. Modern earthquake engineering: Offshore and land-based structures. Springer.
Koliou, M. and Filiatrault, A., 2017. Development of wood and steel diaphragm hysteretic
connector database for performance-based earthquake engineering. Bulletin of Earthquake
Engineering, 15(10), pp.4319-4347.
Kumar, R., 2019. Research methodology: A step-by-step guide for beginners. Sage
Publications Limited.

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Mohajan, H.K., 2018. Qualitative research methodology in social sciences and related
subjects. Journal of Economic Development, Environment and People, 7(1), pp.23-48.
Muneo, H., 2018. Introduction to computational earthquake engineering. World Scientific.
Preti, M., Migliorati, L. and Giuriani, E., 2015. Experimental testing of engineered masonry
infill walls for post-earthquake structural damage control. Bulletin of Earthquake
Engineering, 13(7), pp.2029-2049.
Taherdoost, H., 2016. Sampling methods in research methodology; how to choose a sampling
technique for research. How to Choose a Sampling Technique for Research (April 10, 2016).
Walliman, N., 2017. Research methods: The basics. Routledge.