Performance based seismic design (PBSD) is a cogent design approach that allows engineers to design structures with a predictable seismic performance for a specified level of hazard. In contrast to the conventional limit state or strength and serviceability based design in which a structure is designed to withstand severe load combinations and be functional under normal load conditions, PBSD go...

Seismic anisotropy is an efficient way to investigate the deformation field within the upper mantle. In the framework of rigid tectonic plates, we make use of recent tomographic models of azimuthal anisotropy for deriving the best rotation pole of the Pacific plate in the uppermost 200km of the mantle. It is found to be in good agreement with current plate motion (NUVEL1, HS3 and NNR). However,...

This paper reports on the damage of Wushi bridge in a recent Taiwan 921 earthquake. Damage to Wushi bridge appeared in the superstructure, the substructure and the approaches. Typical types of damage are discussed and illustrated in this paper. A review of the bridge design specifications in Taiwan is also presented to give the background on the seismic design of Taiwan highway bridges.

Pletser et al. performed a seismic-refraction survey on Devon Island with the goal of assessing the feasibility of astronauts carrying out such operations on Mars to detect subsurface water. We demonstrate that the seismic analysis is fundamentally flawed. The survey performed in this test will likely bear little resemblance to future crewed geophysical surface operations, and better methods ex...

The period of vibration is a fundamental parameter in the force-based design of structures as this parameter defines the spectral acceleration and thus the base shear force to which the building should be designed. This paper takes a critical look at the way in which seismic design codes around the world have allowed the designer to estimate the period of vibration for use in both linear static...

Fluid circulation at fractured basement/cover unconformity is of first importance for geothermal energy exploitation especially in continental rifting as the Upper Rhine Graben. This unconformity presents lot of natural fractures which constitute a large permeable fracture network driving brine movement. That constitutes a reservoir of hot water, which is exploited by several geothermal power p...

As ice retreated from southern coastal Maine from 15,000 to 13,000 years ago, the ocean inundated coastal areas where the earth’s crust had been temporarily depressed by the weight of glacial ice. A thick veneer of glacial-marine clay and silt – the Presumpscot Formation – was deposited in coastal Maine lowlands. Due to its fine-grained character, shear waves from seismic events travel slowly t...

The two great Sumatra earthquakes of December 26, 2004, and March 28, 2005, are associated with a number of geodynamic processes affecting Earth’s shape, gravity field and rotation on a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. These include co-seismic strong motion, permanent co-seismic displacements, surface loading due to the barotropic tsunami, normal modes, and transient post-seismic defo...

The SoSNET project aims to build a Wireless Sensor Network platform to assist in emergencies and particularly suited for realtime, reliable detection and transmission of seismological and structural health data. There are several wireless sensing solutions for both structural assessment and seismic surveillance, however none benefit from the advantages of joining both “worlds”. The goal of SoSN...

Masonry structures are complex systems that require a thorough and detailed knowledge and information regarding their behaviour under seismic excitations. Appropriate modelling of a masonry structure is a prerequisite for a reliable earthquake resistant design or assessment. However, modelling a real structure to a robust quantitative (mathematical) representation is a very difficult, complex a...