Developments in Earthquake Resistant Design of Reinforced Concrete Buildings

Abstract

The understanding of earthquake engineering has greatly improved in recent years. This is greatly facilitated by research and development, laboratory and field testing of structures, developments in analytical and design methods, and the lessons learned from the past earthquakes. Many fundamental concepts have been developed which has enabled deeper understanding of earthquake behavior which has led to improved design methods. The developments in force-based design, capacity-based design, and performance-based design have laid foundation for the future of earthquake engineering which has a potential to further upgrade seismic design methods. The state of the art in earthquake engineering has developed to a stage where it is possible to design engineered buildings for safe performance in earthquakes. Yet many engineered buildings have been observed to be significantly damaged in recent earthquakes. There are issues in earthquake engineering that need attention such as emphasis on conceptual design to minimize seismic effects, emphasis on performance that is designing structures for controlled damage, and economical retrofitting of seismically deficient existing structures. This chapter describes the basic concepts developed in earthquake engineering over a period of time and their significance in earthquake-resistant design, earthquake protection, and project challenges for future research and development in order to mitigate effects of earthquakes on structures with the emphasis on reinforced concrete buildings.