Earthquake Resistant Buildings: Addressing the Challenges and Importance of Structural Stability

Social Impact Analysis Capstone Paper Proposal
Earthquake Resistant Buildings
Earthquakes are one of the most dreaded natural calamities human beings, have been over the
centuries, struggling to do away with due to its catastrophic nature. Even though it has become
possible to erect steel and structure skyscraper buildings, giving 100% guarantee of the stability
of such buildings against a significant earthquake still remains a major challenge.
The effect of earthquakes on building structures can be noticed in two major construction types
that are common with buildings: load bearing wall structure as well as framed structures. The
structure is erected using continuous vertical walls that offer support to the floor slabs at various
levels, for instance, of load bearing wall structure. Nevertheless, should it be functionally
inconvenient to have continuous partitions, then the framed structure has to be implemented in
which isolated posts called columns are linked using horizontal bands also known as beams in
supporting the structure.
Both the two structures have a fundamental role to play when it comes to coping up with the load
of the objects and persons occupying them, which is the same case as the structure of shelves.
Imagining that a stack of shelves has been constructed and does not having connectors or joints
to the horizontal shelves as with the vertical partitions as applicable load bearing toes or
otherwise with the vertical posts as applicable in framed type, in such a case, the frames will
simply be resting on the vertical members placed on top of each other. This offers a simple way
of breakage and thus collapse of the whole shelf and this is similar to the impact of an
earthquake.