Module overview
This module provides an overview of the breadth of earthquake engineering as a discipline, providing the most important knowledge and intellectual skills for students to be able to assess earthquake hazards and ground motions (shaking), and then to analyse and design structures for earthquake resistance. Particular attention is paid to performance-based seismic design and assessment of steel buildings. The module will start from the fundamental theory of structural dynamics and earthquake engineering. It will then gradually cover linear and nonlinear structural analysis methods and their application to simplified and rigorous performance-based seismic design and assessment of steel building structures. Relevant seismic design guidelines in Eurocodes will be thoroughly covered. It is emphasised that the course includes an introduction to aspects of structural dynamics relevant to earthquake engineering for students who lack this pre-requisite knowledge. The Module is based on a combination of Lectures (theory) and Computer Lab Sessions (computational implementation of the theory). It involves the use of the commercial software SAP2000 as well as MATLAB. Step-by-step tutorials for using the software and MATLAB will be provided. Computer lab sessions at the last four weeks will solely devoted to the design project carried out by the students. During all lab sessions, the Lectures will provide to students instruction and feedback on their progress towards the completion of their project. Overall the module consists of 20 lectures and 10 computer lab sessions.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Exercising independent judgment
- Problem solving
- Planning and time management
- Communication
- Critical appraisal
Subject Specific Practical Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- - Process accelerograms and compute important characteristics of ground motions using MATLAB or any other programming environment
- - Use commercially available software to create nonlinear structural analysis models of buildings
- - Use commercially available software to perform seismic design and assessment of steel buildings
- - Compute the elastic and inelastic response spectrum of ground motions using MATLAB or any other programming environment
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- - the dynamics of elastic frames with rotational degrees of freedom
- - the framework of Eurocode 8
- - different hysteretic rules
- - the earthquake hazard (sources, magnitude, seismic intensity and site effects)
- - modal time history analysis and response spectrum analysis
- - the elastic response spectrum
- - the dynamics of elastic multi-degree-of-freedom systems
- - the dynamics of inelastic single-degree-of-freedom systems
- - specific seismic design rules for steel buildings
- - nonlinear structural analysis methods and their use for seismic assessment
- - approximate methods for estimating the peak inelastic response
- - the dynamics of elastic single-degree-of-freedom systems
- - the behaviour of different seismic-resistant systems such as moment-resisting frames, braced frames, and frames with energy dissipation devices
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- - compute the seismic response of inelastic structures
- - perform seismic assessment of steel buildings using state-of-the-art nonlinear analysis methods
- - compute the seismic response of simple elastic structures
- - develop appropriate linear and nonlinear structural models for dynamic analysis
- - perform the seismic design of multi-storey steel buildings
Syllabus
- earthquake hazard (sources, magnitude, seismic intensity and site effects)
- dynamics of elastic single-degree-of-freedom systems
- dynamics of inelastic single-degree-of-freedom systems
- response spectrum
- approximate methods for estimating the peak inelastic response
- hysteretic rules
- dynamics of elastic multi-degree-of-freedom systems
- modal time history analysis and response spectrum analysis
- dynamics of elastic frames with rotational degrees of freedom
- specific seismic design rules for steel buildings
- Eurocode 8
- nonlinear structural analysis methods and their use for seismic assessment
- seismic-resistant systems
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
- 10 lectures on theory of structural dynamics and earthquake engineering
- 10 lectures on nonlinear structural analysis, seismic design, and seismic assessment
- 10 computer lab sessions with instruction and feedback on the use of software and progress towards completion of their project
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Seminar | |
| Completion of assessment task | 60 |
| Revision | 30 |
| Wider reading or practice | 20 |
| Tutorial | 10 |
| Lecture | 20 |
| Preparation for scheduled sessions | 10 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
General Resources
Blackboard. All resources will be available on blackboard • Extensive resources for students including thorough step-by-step tutorials on the use of software (SAP2000, MATLAB) and technical reports with real-life step-by-step seismic design examples • Recommended textbooks • Software will be available on the network of the FEE for direct use during lab sessions. A fully functional student version of the software (limitation: no printing capability) is available for download and use on personal computers.
Assessment
Assessment strategy
Repeat year - external repeat as per referral method.
Summative
Summative assessment description
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Continuous Assessment | 100% |
Referral
Referral assessment description
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Set Task | 100% |
Repeat
Repeat assessment description
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Set Task | 100% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External