Guide Lines For Earthquake Resistant Non Engineered Construction

Written for engineers without a background in seismic design. Provides design standards and parameters, explaining how to interpret and apply them. Examines and recommends procedures to accommodate the enormous forces and variations in effects common to major earthquakes. Covers practical aspects of soil behavior and structural and foundation design. Gives tips on special construction situations: foundations, dams and retaining walls, strengthening existing structures and construction over active faults.

Guidelines for Design of Low-Rise Buildings Subjected to Lateral Forces is a concise guide that identifies performance issues, concerns, and research needs associated with low-rise buildings. The book begins with an introduction that discusses special problems with low-rise buildings subjected to wind and earthquakes. Chapter 2 examines probabilistic methods and their use in evaluating risks from natural hazards. It also addresses the characteristics of wind and seismic forces and levels of risk implied by building codes. Wind forces are covered in more detail in Chapter 3, with discussions of wind force concepts and wind-structure interactions. Chapter 4 is devoted to earthquake forces and traces the development of building codes for earthquake resistant design. Chapter 5 describes the main framing systems used to resist lateral forces and discusses the code requirements for drift control. The designs and requirements for connections between building elements are addressed in Chapter 6. It includes examples along with several illustrations of suitable connections. The performance of non-structural elements during wind and earthquake forces is also examined in detail. This book serves as an important reference for civil engineers, construction engineers, architects, and anyone concerned with structural codes and standards. It is an excellent guide that can be used to supplement design recommendations and provide a design basis where there are no current requirements.

This publication presents seismic design and construction guidance for one- and two-family houses in a manner that can be utilized by homebuilders, knowledgeable homeowners, and other non-engineers. It incorporates and references the prescriptive provisions of the 2003 International Residential Code as well as the results of the FEMA-funded CUREE-Caltech Woodframe Project. The manual includes prescriptive building detail plans based on state-ofthe- art earthquake-resistant design for use by homebuilders and others in the construction of a non-engineered residential structure. Further, the manual also uses the results of recent loss investigations as well as current research and analysis results to identify a number of specific above-code measures for improved earthquake performance along with their associated costs. A typical modern house is used to illustrate the application and benefits of above-code measures.