Earthquake Effects on Buildings
Credit: 2 PDH
Subject Matter Expert: Farah Labib Eldib, S.E., M.Sc.
In Earthquake Effects on Buildings, you'll learn ...
- Why the period of an earthquake wave is important for determining the seismic forces acting on a building
- How resonance can cause severe damage to a building – even in a relatively mild earthquake
- How a response spectrum is used to identify the resonant frequencies at which a building will undergo peak accelerations
- The significance of damping, equal force distribution and the avoidance of stress concentrations in seismic design of a building
Overview
This course explains how various aspects of earthquake ground motion affect structures and also how certain building attributes modify the ways in which the building responds to the ground motion. The interaction of these characteristics determines the overall seismic performance of the building: whether it is undamaged; suffers minor damage; becomes unusable for days, weeks, or months; or collapses with great loss of life.
Explanations of some characteristics of ground motion are followed by descriptions of several material, structural, and building attributes that, by interacting with ground motion, determine the building's seismic performance.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Explain the basics of inertia forces and acceleration.
- Describe the duration, velocity, and displacement associated with seismic acceleration.
- Explain how soil properties affect the amplification of earthquake shaking.
- Identify the natural periods of buildings and other structures.
- Describe the phenomenon of resonance and explain why it can cause significant structural damage during an earthquake.
- Define a site response spectrum.
- Explain damping and its importance in seismic design.
- Describe how ductility affects a building’s ability to withstand an earthquake without collapsing.
- Explain design considerations for drift in high-rise buildings.
- Describe force distribution and the damage caused by stress concentrations.
- Identify torsional forces in asymmetrical buildings.
- Explain the importance of enforcing quality control procedures throughout all phases of design and construction.
Certificate of Completion
You will be able to immediately print a certificate of completion after passing a multiple-choice quiz consisting of 10 questions. PDH credits are not awarded until the course is completed and quiz is passed.
| This course is applicable to professional engineers in: | ||
| Alabama (P.E.) | Alaska (P.E.) | Arkansas (P.E.) |
| Delaware (P.E.) | District of Columbia (P.E.) | Florida (P.E. Area of Practice) |
| Georgia (P.E.) | Idaho (P.E.) | Illinois (P.E.) |
| Illinois (S.E.) | Indiana (P.E.) | Iowa (P.E.) |
| Kansas (P.E.) | Kentucky (P.E.) | Louisiana (P.E.) |
| Maine (P.E.) | Maryland (P.E.) | Michigan (P.E.) |
| Minnesota (P.E.) | Mississippi (P.E.) | Missouri (P.E.) |
| Montana (P.E.) | Nebraska (P.E.) | Nevada (P.E.) |
| New Hampshire (P.E.) | New Jersey (P.E.) | New Mexico (P.E.) |
| New York (P.E.) | North Carolina (P.E.) | North Dakota (P.E.) |
| Ohio (P.E. Self-Paced) | Oklahoma (P.E.) | Oregon (P.E.) |
| Pennsylvania (P.E.) | South Carolina (P.E.) | South Dakota (P.E.) |
| Tennessee (P.E.) | Texas (P.E.) | Utah (P.E.) |
| Vermont (P.E.) | Virginia (P.E.) | West Virginia (P.E.) |
| Wisconsin (P.E.) | Wyoming (P.E.) | |



