Seismologic Consideration in Design + Earthquake
together; so particles separate easily.
Resistance Design
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Definition of Terms:
 Active fault
A fault that is capable of having another earthquake in the future.
It is considered active if seismic activity or movement is
observed during the last ten thousand years.
 Aftershock
An earthquake that follows a large magnitude earthquake called,
“main shock” and originates in or around the rupture zone of the
main shock. Generally, major earthquakes are followed by a
number of aftershocks, which show a decreasing trend in
magnitude and frequency with time.
 Aseismic
Not associated with an earthquake, as in “aseismic slip”. Also
used to indicate an area with no record of earthquakes, as in
“aseismic zone”.
 Consolidated / Unconsolidated
Consolidated - Tightly packed, composed of particles that cannot
be easily separated.
Unconsolidated - Loosely arranged particle matter, not cemented
 Continental Drift
A hypothesis, first advanced by Alfred Wegener, that the Earth's
continents were originally joined together as a single land mass,
called “Pangaea”, which split into pieces and drifted (migrated)
to form the present day configuration of continents.
 Disaster mitigation
It encompasses all acts necessary for eliminating, minimizing
and reducing the possible adverse impacts of a potentially
disastrous event which may be anticipated or impending or has
already happened. It calls for a planned, sustained and
orchestrated applications of knowledge, technology (including
information and communication systems), community education
and management principles, to reduce vulnerability by
enhancing hazard consciousness and by progressive assimilation
of hazard resistant land use plans, building and slope grading
codes and advance warning systems in the life and works of
communities exposed to natural hazards.
 Earthquake
Earthquakes are the manifestations of sudden release of strain
energy accumulated in the rocks over extensive periods of time
in the upper part of the Earth.
 Epicenter
It is the point on the surface of the Earth, vertically above the
place of origin (Hypocenter or Focus) of an earthquake. This
point is expressed by its geographical coordinates in terms of
latitude and longitude.
 Fault  Rupture Zone
A fracture or fracture zone (a weak plane) in the Earth‟s crust or
The area inside the Earth, where two blocks of rock mass slip
upper mantle, along which the two sides have been displaced
and give rise to occurrence of an earthquake. For very small
relative to one another. Faults are caused by earthquakes and
earthquakes, this zone could be very small, but in the case of a
earthquakes are likely to recur on pre-existing faults, where
great earthquake, the rupture zone may extend to several
stresses are accumulated.
hundred kilometers in length and tens of kilometers in width.
 Intensity
A subjective measure of the effects of an earthquake at a  Seismic waves
particular place on humans, structures and (or) the land itself.
The intensity at a point depends not only upon the strength of They are the waves of energy caused by the sudden breaking of
the earthquake (magnitude) but also on the distance from the rock within the earth or by an explosion. They carry the released
earthquake to the point and the local geology at that point. energy and travel through the earth and are recorded on
Intensity grades are commonly given in Roman numerals (in the seismographs. There are many types of seismic waves, viz., body
case of the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, from I for “not waves, surface waves, coda waves, etc.
perceptible” to  Seismology
XII for “total destruction”). (See Modified Mercalli Intensity
Scale.) The word “Seismology”ectonb is derived from the Greek word
„Seismos‟ meaning earthquake and „Logos‟ meaning science.
 Liquefaction Thus, it is the science of Earthquakes and related phenomena.
The process in which a solid (soil material) takes on the
 Tectonics
characteristics of a liquid as a result of an increase in pore
pressure and a reduction in stress. In other words, solid ground Branch of Earth science, which deals with the structure,
turns to jelly. This usually takes place due to strong ground evolution and relative motions of the outer part of the Earth, the
shaking caused by large earthquakes. lithosphere. The lithosphere includes the Earth's crust and part
of the Earth's upper mantle and averages about 100 km thick.
 Magnitude See „Plate tectonics‟.
A measure of the strength of an earthquake or strain energy
released by it, as determine by seismographic observations. The
amplitude on a seismograph, the magnitude and energy released
are related through a log-linear relationship, which is defined by
Charles Richter in 1935.
What is an Earthquake? Earthquake in Philippines
An earthquake The 2013 Bohol
is a sudden, rapid earthquake occurred on October 15,
shaking of the Earth 2013, at 8:12 a.m. in Bohol, an island
caused by the breaking province located in Central Visayas,
and shifting of rock Philippines. The magnitude of the
beneath the Earth’s earthquake at the epicenter was
surface. For hundreds recorded at Mw 7.2, located 6
of millions of years, the kilometres (3.7 mi) SW of Sagbayan
forces of plate tectonics town, at a depth of 12 kilometres
have shaped the Earth (7.5 mi). It affected the whole Central
as the huge plates that Visayas region, particularly Bohol and
form the Earth’s Cebu. The quake was felt in the whole
surface move slowly over, under, and past each other. Sometimes the Visayas area and as far as Masbate
movement is gradual. At other times, the plates are locked together, island in the north and Cotabato
unable to release the accumulating energy. When the accumulated
energy grows strong enough, the plates break free causing the ground to provinces in southern Mindanao. Figure 1 location of epicenter
shake. Most earthquakes occur at the boundaries where the plates meet;
however, some earthquakes occur in the middle of plates. According to official
reports by the National Disaster
The motion of ground shaking caused by earthquakes can Risk Reduction and
collapse buildings and bridges; disrupt gas, electric, and phone services; Management Council
and sometimes trigger landslides, avalanches, flash floods, fires, and (NDRRMC), 222 were reported
huge, destructive ocean waves (tsunamis). Buildings with foundations dead, 8 were missing, and 976
resting on unconsolidated landfill and other unstable soil, and trailers people were injured. In all, more
and homes not tied to their foundations are at risk because they can be than 73,000 structures were
shaken off during an earthquake. When an earthquake occurs in a damaged or destroyed.
populated area, it may cause injuries, huge amount of property damage
and of course, death. It was the deadliest
earthquake in the Philippines in
Hence the saying, 23 years. The energy of the quake Figure 2 earthquake in Bohol
released was equivalent to 32
“EARTHQUAKE DON’T KILL PEOPLE, BUILDINGS DO.”
Hiroshima bombs. Previously, Bohol was also hit by an earthquake on
February 8, 1990 that damaged several buildings and caused a tsunami.
 Figure 4 The bell tower of the Church of San Pedro Apostol in Loboc, Bohol is now a mere stump
Figure 3 Basilica Minore del Sto Niño in Cebu City with its bell among the rubbles

The Luzon
earthquake occurred on
Monday, July 16, 1990, at
4:26 PM local time in the
Philippines. The densely
populated island of Luzon
was struck by an earthquake
with a 7.8 Ms (surface-wave
magnitude). The earthquake
produced a 125 km-long
ground rupture that
stretched from Dingalan,
Aurora to Cuyapo, Nueva
Ecija as a result of strike-slip
movements along the
Philippine Fault and the

Figure 5 The intricately-designed facade of the Church of San Pedro Apostol in Loboc, Bohol
Digdig Fault within the Philippine Fault System. The earthquake epicenter was
placed at 15° 42' N and 121° 7' E near the town of Rizal, Nueva Ecija, northeast
of Cabanatuan City.[1] An estimated 1,621 people were killed in the earthquake,
most of the fatalities located in Central Luzon and the Cordillera region

Figure 8 devastated building

Figure 6 Road being ruptured

Philippine Fault Zone Maps

The 1,200-km-long Philippine fault zone (PFZ) is a major tectonic

feature that transects the whole Philippine archipelago from northwestern
Luzon to southeastern Mindanao. The high seismic risk posed by this fault zone
requires a large-scale active faults map, a fundamental data set for seismic
hazard mitigation. Since 2003, Kyoto University and PHIVOLCS-DOST have been
mapping the Philippine Fault. At present, approximately 90% of on-land-stretch
of the PFZ has been mapped.

Figure 7 devastated building

Soil Liquefaction

Soil liquefaction describes a phenomenon whereby a saturated or

partially saturated soil substantially loses strength and stiffness in response to
an applied stress, usually earthquake shaking or other sudden change in stress
condition, causing it to behave like a liquid.
Building Stiffness and Flexibility | Earthquake Engineering
The height of a building is related to an important structural
characteristic: the building flexibility. Taller buildings tend to be more
flexible than short buildings. (Consider a thin metal rod. If it is very
short, it is difficult to bend it in your hand. If the rod is longer, and of the
same diameter, it becomes much easier to bend. Buildings behave
similarly) we say that a short building is stiff, while a taller building is
flexible. (Obviously, flexibility and stiffness are really just the two sides
of the same coin. If something is stiff, it isn’t flexible and vice-versa).
one of the most important factors affecting its earthquake
performance. One of the primary tasks of an engineer designing a
building to be earthquake resistant is to ensure that the building will
possess enough ductility to withstand the size and types of earthquakes
it is likely to experience during its lifetime.
Inertial Forces in a Structure
An earthquake causes shaking of ground. So a building resting on
it will experience motion at its base. From Newton’s first law of motion,
even though the base of the building moves with the ground, the roof has
a tendency to stay in its original position. But since the walls and
columns are connected to it, they drag the roof along with them.

Figure 9 ductility concept Figure 10 Inertial forces in structure

Ductility is the ability to undergo distortion or deformation

This is much like the situation that you are faced with when the
without resulting in complete breakage or failure. To see how ductility
bus you are standing in suddenly starts, your feet move with the bus, but
can improve a building’s performance during an earthquake, see the
your upper body tends to stay back making you fall backwards.
above figure. In response to the ground motion, the rod bends but does
not break. (Of course, metals in general are more ductile than materials
such as stone, brick and concrete) The ductility of a structure is in fact
 This tendency to continue to remain in the previous position is
known as inertia. In the building since the walls or columns are flexible,
the motion of roof is different from that of ground.

Building Planning | Earthquake Resistant Buildings

Size of Buildings:

Figure 12 Simple plan shape buildings do well during earthquakes.

Figure 11 Buildings with one of their overall sizes much larger or much Buildings with simple geometry in plan perform well during strong
smaller than the other two, do not perform well during earthquakes. earthquakes. Buildings with re-entrant corners, like U, V, H and + shaped
in plan sustain significant damage. The bad effects of these interior
In tall buildings with large weight-to-base size ratio the corners in the plan of buildings are avoided by making the buildings in
horizontal movement of the floors during ground shaking is large. In two parts by using a separation joint at the junction.
short but very long buildings, the damaging effects during earthquake
shaking are many. And, in buildings with large plan area, the horizontal
seismic forces can be excessive to be carried by columns and walls.
Horizontal Layout of Buildings
Vertical Layout of Buildings Adjacency of Buildings

Earthquake forces
developed at different floor
levels in a building need to be
brought down along the height
to the ground by the shortest
path, any deviation or
discontinuity in this load
transfer path results in poor
performance of building.
Buildings with vertical setbacks
cause a sudden jump in
earthquake forces at the level of
discontinuity. Buildings that Figure 14 Pounding can occur between adjoining buildings due to horizantal vibrations
have fewer columns or walls in a of the two buildings.
particular storey or with
unusually tall storey tend to When two buildings are close to each other, they may pound on
damage or collapse which is each other during strong shaking. When building heights do not match
initiated in that storey. Buildings the roof of the shorter building may pound at the mid- height of the
on slopy ground have unequal column of the taller one; this can be very dangerous.
height columns along the slope,
which causes twisting and Seismic Base Isolation Technique for Building Earthquake Resistance
damage in shorter columns that
It is easiest to see the principle at work by referring directly to the most
hang or float on beams have
widely used of these advanced techniques, known as base isolation. A base
discontinuity in load transfer.
isolated structure is supported by a series of bearing pads, which are placed
Buildings in which RC walls do between the buildings and building foundation.
not go all the way to the ground
but stop at upper levels get Figure 13 Sudden deviations in load transfer path
severely damaged along the height lead to poor performance of
buildings
 Figure 16 concept of base isolation
Figure 17 building on rollers

The concept of base isolation is explained through an example building

resting on frictionless rollers. When the ground shakes, the rollers freely roll,
but the building above does not move. Thus, no force is transferred to the
building due to the shaking of the ground; simply, the building does not
experience the earthquake.

Figure 15 without base isolation

Figure 18 building on base isolation

 Lead-rubber bearings are the frequently-used types of base bearings have a curved surface, the building slides both horizontally and
isolation bearings. A lead rubber bearing is made from layers of rubber vertically. The forces needed to move the building upwards limits the
sandwiched together with layers of steel. In the middle of the solid lead horizontal or lateral forces which would otherwise cause building
“plug”. On top and bottom, the bearing is fitted with steel plates which deformations. Also by adjusting the radius of the bearings curved
are used to attach the bearing to the building and foundation. The surface, this property can be used to design bearings that also lengthen
bearing is very stiff and strong in the vertical direction, but flexible in the the buildings period of vibration
horizontal direction.
To get a basic idea of how base isolation works, first examine the
previous diagram. This shows an earthquake acting on fixed-base
building a conventional and base isolated building. As a result of an
earthquake, the ground beneath each building begins to move. Each
building responds with movement which tends towards the right. The
buildings displacement in the direction opposite the ground motion is
actually due to inertia. The inertia forces acting on a building are the
most important of all those generated during an earthquake.
In addition to displacing towards right, the un-isolated building
is also shown to be changing its shape from a rectangle to a
parallelogram. We say that the building is deforming. The primary cause
of earthquake damage to buildings is the deformation which the building
undergoes as a result of the inertial forces upon it.

Spherical Sliding Isolation Systems

Spherical sliding
isolation systems are another
type of base isolation. The
building is supported by
bearing pads that have a
curved surface and low
friction. During an earthquake
the building is free to slide on
the bearings. Since the
Active Control Devices for Earthquake Resistance 2. Active-tuned Mass Dampers (TMD)
People standing in swaying train or bus try to maintain balance Are also known as harmonic absorbers. These are devices that
by unintentionally bracing their legs or by relaying on the muscles of help reduce the amplitude of mechanical vibrations.
their spine and stomach. By providing a similar function to a building it
can dampen immensely the vibrations when confronted with an
earthquake. This is the concept of Dynamic Intelligent Building (DIB)
1. Active Control Systems:
The basic configuration of an active control system is
schematically shown in figure. The system consists of three basic
elements:

 Sensors to measure external excitation and/or structural response.

 Computer hardware and software to compute control forces on the basis
of observed excitation and/or structural response.
 Actuators to provide the necessary control forces.
Figure 19 active-tuned mass dampers

Thus in active system has to

necessarily have an external energy
input to drive the actuators. On the
other hand passive systems do not
require external energy and their
efficiency depends on tunings of system
to expected excitation and structural
behavior. As a result, the passive
systems are effective only for the modes
of the vibrations for which these are
tuned. Thus the advantage of an active
system lies in its much wider range of
applicability since the control forces are
worked out on the basis of actual
excitation and structural behavior.
Figure 20 Taipei 101 with TMD
 3. Tendon Control 4. Liquid slosh dampers
Various analytical studies have been done using tendons for Dampens the vibration produced by the earthquake through
active control. At low excitations, even with the active control system off, fluid inertia. It is made up of a tank partially filled with water, divided
the tendon will act in passive modes by resisting deformations in the into segments by louvers that prevent turbulence.
structures though resulting tension in the tendon. At higher excitations
one may switch over to Active mode where an actuator applies the
required tension in tendons.

Figure 21 tendon control

CASE STUDY The 2,080-foot Tokyo Sky Tree, the world's second tallest
structure, combines cutting edge technology and medieval methods to
 TOKYO SKY TREE stand firm in the event of an earthquake

(Photo: hkaito)

The Sky Tree illuminated at night time, December 2011

(Photo: Yoshikazu Takada)
 (Photo: Naotake Murayama)

Leap day 2012 saw the completion of the world's second tallest
structure, the Tokyo Sky Tree television transmitter and observation
tower. At 2,080 feet (634 m) the tower stands nearly twice as Japan's
previous tallest frame, the 1,091-ft (333-m) Tokyo Tower transmitter.
It's an audacious technological feat when one considers this is at the
heart of an earthquake zone.
Nikken Sekkei, the design practice behind both buildings,
effectively doubled its personal best in the construction of the Sky Tree,
and in doing so employed the latest technology, not to mention the
expertise of "more than 100 architects, engineers and planners", to build
the capital city's striking quake-resistant giant - a super-tower its
designers claim offers "better safety" than any other. It has a 9:1 height
to width ratio - a narrow, almost needle-like form.

 WHY IS THE TOKYO SKY TREE SO TALL?

The Tokyo Sky Tree, like the Tokyo Tower before it, is first and
foremost a television transmitter. The Tokyo Tower was plenty tall
enough in 1958, and for decades after; but with the switch to digital
transmission the tower's height proved insufficient for blanket coverage
to the area - hence the need for a taller tower - hence, in fact, the Tokyo
Sky Tree.
The Sky Tree is a tripod at ground level standing on an
equilateral triangle base with sides of 68 m (223 ft). As the tower
progresses upwards its cross section very quickly morphs from triangle
to circle (a shape "without precedent", according to its designers),
 becoming a totally cylindrical tower between half and two thirds of the
way up.

 It started with a balloon

Before Nikken Sekkei could put pen to paper, it had to better
understand conditions at an altitude of 2,000 feet. To do that the
company floated a weather balloon to gather extensive wind data - wind
data used to fathom the lateral wind forces that the building would have
to withstand.
Meanwhile, thousands of feet below, the company undertook a
"micro-motion array observation" granting insight in the minutest detail
of the make-up of the earth to a depth of 3 km (1.9 miles) underground.
This level of detail allows much more accurate computer simulation of
building sway in earthquake conditions.

 Medieval resilience
The Sky Tree's structural design relies on extremely strong steel
tubes which, at the tower's base, have a diameter of 2.3 m (7.5 ft) and a
thickness of 10 cm (3.9 in). These are arranged in an array of triangular
trusses which, unusually for a building, employ branch joints more
common on marine structures such as oil rigs.

To control vibration, Nikken Sekkei took inspiration from what,

at first glance at least, seems an unlikely source: the traditional five-
story Japanese pagoda. Over the centuries, hundreds of these wooden
structures have withstood earthquakes and typhoons, and Nikken Sekkei
Mass management
claims not a single pagoda has collapsed due to a seismic event.
Additional resilience is achieved through an "added mass control
This inherent strength is thought to stem from the fact that the
mechanism" (or tuned mass damper) - a damping system which, in the
central column (or shimbashira) does not physically support any of the
event of an earthquake, moves out of step with the building's structure,
pagoda's stories but instead acts as a counterweight about which the
to keep the center of gravity as central as possible to the tower's base.
rest of the building's structure can vibrate. Nikken Sekkei brought the
Though steel ingots, concrete, or even the buildings mechanical plant is
concept up to date with what it calls shimbashira seishin, or center
sometimes used to this end, in what Nikken Sekkei claims is a world's
column vibration control, with the core column and surrounding steel
first, the Sky Tree's core column is the added mass.
frame connected by a flexible oil damper.

A firm footing
Of course, such resilience is nothing without the proper
foundation, and it’s the Sky Tree's foundation that gives the buildings its
name. Beneath each of the tower's three legs is a cluster of 50-m (164-ft)
deep walled piles with steel-reinforced concrete nodes, which Nikken
Sekkei compares to the root system of a gigantic tree, "monolithically
integrated" with the ground.

The Sky Tree in the background, still under construction in April

2011; in the foreground is the type of five-story pagoda that in part
informed the Sky Tree's design. (Photo: Yoshikazu Takada)
 Forming a triangle between the three clusters are three longer,
35-m (114-ft) deep piled walls. Using wall-shaped piles increases the
useful frictional resistance with the ground. Another cluster of piles is
embedded at the center of the triangle, beneath the tower's center.
The Sky Tower opens to the public in May with 360-degree views
of Tokyo's Sumida ward in the foreground to the 6,500 sq miles (17,000
sq km) of the Kanto Plain beyond.
 UST Main Building
Figure 22 UST Main Building facade
Introduction
The UST Main building is the first earthquake-resistant building
in the Philippines. It is designed in 1923 by Fr. Roque Ruaño, a
renowned engineer who went to Japan to study earthquake-resistant
structures. The building’s design was influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright's
Imperial Hotel, Tokyo. It endured major earthquakes like the 7.3 quake
in Aurora on 1968 and 7.8 quake in Luzon in 1990.
History
Figure 23 UST Main building before
In 1920, Fr. Ruaño, O.P. was assigned to draw up plans for the
UST Main Building to be constructed at the Sulucan property of the
Dominican Order. During the years 1922 and 1923, the plans were
finally completed. However, some fine tunings may have been made on
the design criteria as a result of the new lessons learned from the Great
Kantō earthquake of September 1, 1923 which flattened Tokyo and -four middle section (or paraninfo)
Yokohama. Eventually, construction began in 1924.
-two stair section adjacent to tower and elevator core

Design
The structure is a rectangular building having a dimension of 86
meters long and 74 meters wide with two interior courtyards or patios.
The Main Bldg. incorporates a seismic design and adopted the
engineering standards of Japan which makes it earthquake-proof. Ruaño
experimented and combined two types of foundation namely spaced
footing and isolated footing on the building. The building is divided into
40 units that are independent from one another with the only
opportunity provided by pre-cast slab flooring. It has four or six piers
strongly tied together, with seismic gaps of an inch filled with loose
cement, to accommodate any movement in case of earthquakes.
According to an article written by the former dean of Faculty of
Engineering, Manuel Mañosa, this is how it is divided:
-four corner units
-two midsection units (rear and front entrance)
-one tower (including two elevator cores)
-one entrance canopy
-a total of 26 units
-seven units for P. Noval side
-seven units for Gov. Forbes (now Arsenio H. Lacson) side
-six units for Dapitan side
-six units for España side
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

As seen from the disaster maps of PHIVOLCS, fault lines transect the
archipelago from north to south. These fault lines are mostly active. Therefore, it
is a fact that the Philippines is prone to earthquakes.
Our country is not yet ready. Only a few structures here are earthquake
resistant, and most buildings may not withstand high intensity ground shaking.
This can cause devastating results like destruction of property and death.
It is then recommended that we observe safety measures in buildings by
adapting to the technologies in resisting earthquakes. From simple planning
techniques to complex construction systems, each method can help us prepare
from the unforeseeable tragedies. The cost for prevention is nothing compared
to the property, heritage sites, and lives that are at risk of being lost.
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