Seismic design aims to make buildings, bridges, and roads resistant to earthquakes and protect their occupants. The design must consider factors such as duration, magnitude, and velocity of seismic activity. Lighter structures with good absorption rates, such as wood and steel frames, are preferred. Buildings require an equal distribution of mass to ensure stability during an earthquake.
Seismic design is a specific area of architecture dedicated to the structural analysis of buildings, bridges and roads, with the aim of making them resistant to earthquakes and other seismic activities. Its ethical objective is the protection of the occupants and users of these facilities. In an earthquake, unsound structures are more likely to collapse and cause damage. Heavily built-up areas become deadlier due to the high density of structures and the threat of structural collapse. In this sense, structures can be seen as increasing the danger created by any seismic activity and increasing the risk to life.
The seismic design must take into account the various effects produced by the movement of the ground caused by the earthquake. Duration, magnitude and velocity are factors in seismic analysis that should be measured by architects, and every earthquake has its own unique danger. However, the common element to the displacement of structures by the motion of earthquakes is the transfer of seismic force into the structures themselves, which is why the structures are destroyed. The movement of the ground produces what is called a force of inertia within the structures; the greater the mass of the structure, the greater this inertia force, and therefore the probability of destruction. The key becomes how structures can absorb these forces in order to minimize damage, rather than being destroyed by them.
One of the seismic design approaches is to produce lighter structures, due to the correlation between structural mass and inertia force. Material selection is critical to the process in order to minimize mass; however, the seismic designer must also be aware of local building codes and requirements when selecting the material. These materials must also have good absorption rates. Such materials are ductile and are able to move with the force of the earthquake and to dissipate its impact. Materials with good absorption indexes are wood; steel frames; and reinforced walls, such as concrete or masonry, while precast concrete frames are considered poor absorbents.
The type of structure produced will also determine the requirements for successful seismic design. Buildings are more prone to damage than roads due to the concentration of the seismic force in a denser form. When designing buildings, the architect must calculate an equal distribution of mass to ensure there is a center to the structure. This center affirms that the structure is rooted. The uneven distribution of the mass will lead to a destabilization of the building in the event of an earthquake.
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