DESIGN LOADS

EARTHQUAKE LOADS: NSCP 2015 Section 208

• Structures and portions thereof shall, as a minimum, be designed and constructed to resist the
effects of seismic ground motions.
• The Code details the Lateral Force Procedure as a method of seismic analysis. Other alternative
procedures may be used such as Seismic Isolation.

Basic parameters for determining Seismic Load:

1. Importance Factor, I (Section 208.4.2)

2. Soil Profile Type (Section 208.4.3.1)
3. Seismic Zone, Z (Section 208.4.4.1, Figure 208-1)
4. Seismic Source Type (Section 208.4.4.2, Figures 208-2A to R)
5. Near Source Factors, Na & Nv (Section 208.4.4.3), for Zone 4 only
6. Seismic Response Coefficients, Ca & Cv (Section 208.4.4.4)
7. Structure Irregularities (Section 208.4.5) Seismic Response Modification Factor, R (Section
208.4.10.2)
8. Seismic Weight, W (Section 208.6.1)

Some of the country’s disastrous earthquakes:

• (July 16) 1990 Luzon Earthquake

– 1,283 dead, 321 missing, Php 11B property damages and Php 1.2B in agriculture
• 1968 Casiguran Earthquake
• 1976 Moro Gulf Earthquake
- Spawn a tsunami that devastated more than 700 km of coastline
- Occurred at midnight that kills 4,791 people and leaves around 93,000 homeless
- Harvadian College
• 2013 Bohol Earthquake (October 15, 2013)

Some of the world’s disastrous earthquakes:

• Taiwan Earthquake, 2016

• Nepal Earthquake, 2015
• 2011 Tohoku, Japan Earthquake
- Most damage due to tsunami with wave height up to 40 meters

DESIGN LOADS: SECTION 208.4.8 – SELECTION OF LATERAL FORCE PROCEDURE

1. Simplified Static Procedure (for Occupancy Category IV or V only)

a. Buildings up to three (3) storeys that use light-frame construction
b. Other buildings up to two (2) storeys
 2. Static Procedure
a. All structures, regular or irregular, in Occupancy Category IV and V in Seismic Zone 2
b. Regular structures under 75 m in height with lateral force resisting system except those with
Soil Type F and structure period greater than 0.7 seconds
c. Irregular structures up to five (5) storeys or 20 m in height.
d. Some structures with stiffness irregularity with requirements stated in Section 208.4.8.2, Item
4
3. Dynamic Procedure
a. Structures 75 m or more in height, except as permitted in Item 1 of Static Procedure
b. Structures with stiffness, weight, or geometric vertical irregularity, or with other irregular
features
c. Structures over five (5) storeys or 20 m in height in Seismic Zone 4 not having the same
structural system throughout their height
d. Structures, regular or irregular, located on Soil Type F and structure period greater than 0.7
seconds

Basic Seismic Parameters:

1. Importance Factor, I (Section 208.4.2)

• This factor takes the occupancy category into account
• Ip stands for the importance factor for panel connections.

2. Soil Profile Type (Section 208.4.3.1)

• Classification of soil profiles can be determined using geotechnical investigation data such
as shear wave velocity, standard penetration test (SPT) results, and undrained shear
strength of soil strata.
• Average values of the required data are obtained for the top 30 m of soil profile as the
basis
3. Seismic Zone, Z (Section 208.4.4.1, Figure 208-1)
• Table 208-3: Seismic Zone Factor, Z

4. Seismic Source Type (Section 208.4.4.2, Figures 208-2A to R)

• Considers the magnitude of seismic hazard a fault has.
• Subduction zones shall not be classified using the table but be studied on a site-specific
basis.
• A freeware is published by DOST-PHIVOLCS called “PHIVOLCS faultfinder” which easily
locates the nearest active Faultline to a selected location within the Philippines. The free
can be accessed at http://faultfinder.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph and can be downloaded in
Google Play as well.

5. Near Source Factors, Na & Nv (Section 208.4.4.3), for Zone 4 only

• Considers the distance of the nearest active fault to the site location
• Using PHIVOLCS faultfinder, the distance can be easily determined.
• Linear interpolation is permitted.
6. Seismic Response Coefficients, Ca & Cv (Section 208.4.4.4)
• Considers the soil type and seismic zone factor of the site location

7. Structure Irregularities (Section 208.4.5)

• Irregular structures have significant physical discontinuities in configuration or in ther
lateral-force resisting systems. (NSCP, 2015)
• Irregularities are classified into two: vertical and horizontal irregularities

VERTICAL IRREGULARITY

• Among those included in this category are soft storey, variation in storey stiffness and
strength, short columns, weak column-strong beam, and vertical setback
• Soft storey failure
• Short column effect
• Pounding failure can be avoided by providing sufficient seismic gap between structures
HORIZONTAL IRREGULARITY

• Among those included in this category are framing with re-entrant corners, variation in storey
stiffness and strength, and non-parallel systems

8. Seismic Response Modification Factor, R (Section 208.4.10.2)

• It is the numerical coefficient representative of the inherent over-strength and global ductility
capacity of lateral-force resisting systems (NSCP, 2015)
• This value depends on the type of structural framing and material.
• Height limitations are stated in Tables 208-11A to D depending whether the site is located in Zone
2 or $
• Other types of structural framing are listed in the reference table
 9. Seismic Weight, W (Section 208.6.1)
• Loads contributing to the seismic mass are the following:
1. Total dead load
2. For storage and warehouse occupancies, minimum of 25% of floor live load
3. If partition load is used in floor design, minimum of 0.5 kN/m^2
4. Total weight of permanent equipment

DESIGN LOADS: LATERAL FORCE PROCEDURE

1. Simplified Static Force Procedure (Section, 208.5.1)

2. Static Force Procedure (Section 208.5.2)

3. Dynamic Analysis Procedure (Secttion 208.5.3)

“The ground motion representation shall, as a minimum, be one having a 10-percent probability
of being exceeded in 50 years.”

Response Spectrum Analysis – utilizes the peak dynamic response of all modes having a significant
contribution total structural response (NSCP, 2015)

Time History Analysis – analysis of a dynamic response of a structure at each increment of time
when the base is subjected to a specific ground motion time history (NSCP, 2015)
SAMPLE APPLICATION OF EARTHQUAKE LOAD IN STAAD.Pro

• UBC1997 as reference code which is the same with NSCP 2015

• Parameters required can be directly computed/acquired from NSCP
 • Load Combinations for Ultimate Strength Design (USD) and Load & Resistance Factor Design
(LRFD)

BUILDING HAZARDS AND FAILURES

1. Buckling of Column Main Rebars

2. Soft Storey Mechanism
3. Column Collapse
4. Joint Failure
5. Joint Connection Failure of Column and Beam
6. Insufficient Hook Length and Wrong Bend of Ties & Stirrups
7. Inadequate dowels/rebars and poor quality CHB (note: the nonstructural elements like CHB walls
may alter the assumed structural response)
8. Collapsed/Damaged Interior Walls
9. Deflected RC Parapet
10. Unsecured Fixtures
11. Faultline Rupture