Earthquake Engineering and Seismic Design of Steel Buildings

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• - specific seismic design rules for steel buildings
• - the dynamics of elastic multi-degree-of-freedom systems
• - the dynamics of elastic frames with rotational degrees of freedom
• - the earthquake hazard (sources, magnitude, seismic intensity and site effects)
• - the dynamics of inelastic single-degree-of-freedom systems
• - nonlinear structural analysis methods and their use for seismic assessment
• - the dynamics of elastic single-degree-of-freedom systems
• - modal time history analysis and response spectrum analysis
• - different hysteretic rules
• - the framework of Eurocode 8
• - the behaviour of different seismic-resistant systems such as moment-resisting frames, braced frames, and frames with energy dissipation devices
• - approximate methods for estimating the peak inelastic response
• - the elastic response spectrum

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Planning and time management
• Communication
• Problem solving
• Exercising independent judgment
• Critical appraisal

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• - perform seismic assessment of steel buildings using state-of-the-art nonlinear analysis methods
• - perform the seismic design of multi-storey steel buildings
• - compute the seismic response of simple elastic structures
• - compute the seismic response of inelastic structures
• - develop appropriate linear and nonlinear structural models for dynamic analysis

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• - Use commercially available software to create nonlinear structural analysis models of buildings
• - Process accelerograms and compute important characteristics of ground motions using MATLAB or any other programming environment
• - 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

• 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

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

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 strategy

Repeat year - external repeat as per referral method.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External