Guest Speaker: Chris Poland

"Need For Better Analysis Tools and Evaluation Procedures"
March 30, 2000

Engineers traditionally have used linear static or dynamic procedures to predict earthquake performance as a basis of their designs. Recently, non-linear analysis procedures such as the push-over procedure have been incorporated. A recent experience in the Taiwan Earthquake indicates that we need to consider a full robustness of earthquake ground shaking in design. Considerations of acceleration, velocity, and displacement are not sufficient to describe building vulnerablitities. There is a need to consider the pulse characteristics of the ground shaking.

 

"Achieving Acceptable Risk in Seismic Designs"
March 31, 2000

Performance based engineering is giving us the tools necessary to design for a range of performance objectives. These are made up of various performance levels and hazard characterizations. Deciding what is acceptable is the next major challenge. It turns out that the decision makers are the owner, the building official, and the structural engineer working together to achieve the owner's interests.