BUILDING BEHAVIOR

The seismic motions of the ground do not damage a building by impact, as does a wreckers ball, or by externally applied pressure such as wind, but by internally generated inertial forces caused by the vibration of the building mass. An increase in mass has two undesirable effects on the earthquake design. First, it results in an increase in the force, and second, it can cause buckling or crushing of columns and walls when the mass pushes down on a member bent or moved out of plumb by the lateral forces. This effect is known as the P effect and the greater the vertical forces, the greater the movement due to P. tall buildings respond to seismic motion differently than low-rise buildings. The magnitude of inertia forces induced in an earthquake depends on the building mass, ground acceleration, the nature of the foundation, and the dynamic characteristics of the structure.

INFLUENCE OF SOIL
The intensity of ground motion reduces with the distance from the epicenter of the earthquake. The reduction, called attenuation. As a building vibrates due to ground motion, its acceleration will be amplified if the fundamental period of the building coincides with the period of vibrations being transmitted through the soil. This amplified response is called resonance. An obvious design strategy is to ensure that buildings have a natural period different from that of the expected ground vibration to prevent amplification.

DAMPING
Buildings do not resonate with the purity of a tuning fork because they are damped; the extent of damping depends upon the construction materials, the type of connections, and the influence of nonstructural elements on the stiffness characteristics of the building.

BUILDING MOTIONS AND DEFLECTIONS

Lateral deflections that occur during earthquakes should be limited to prevent distress in structural members and architectural components.

BUILDING DRIFT AND SEPARATION

Drift is generally defined as the lateral displacement of one floor relative to the floor below. Drift control is necessary to limit damage to interior partitions, elevator and stair enclosures, glass, and cladding systems.