Earthquake Engineering :: Earthquakes Earth Geology Essays

Earthquake technology Earthquakes are vibrations felt at the surface of the earth which are caused by disturbances of the energy in the earths interior. These vibrations are known as seismic waves. (Skinner Robinson McVerry 1) in that respect are different type sof seisimc waves such as Primary (P) waves, whcih motive power the fastest, Secondary (S) waves which cause the earth to vibrate vertically, Surface (L) waves. P and S waves are affected by changes in the density and the rigidity of the materials through with(predicate) which they pass. (Columbia Encyclopedia) Earthquakes vary in their intensity and duration. Often times they are intemperate enough to cause massive destriction. Tall buildings very much suffer as a result of these natural disasters. In recent years this has fabricate a intumescentr and larger threat with both the number of large buildings, and their number of occupants increasing. In an effort to try to minimize the damage caused by qua kes numerous some engineers focus primarily on designing and constructing earthquake resistant buildings. Earthquake engineers have gathered much of their information from analyzing previous(prenominal) earthquakes, and learning which buildings can and cant withstand the tremors. The goals of these engineers is to design buildings that can withstand see to it earthquakes and obtain minimal damage, and that the buildings will not collapse lowering the opportunity of human deaths. Authorities have attempted to implement codes or regulations, yet that has proved to be very difficult tasks becasue there are many variables that effect the dynamic response of buildings. One way to try to empty disaster is to evaluate seismic risk is to look at a buildings hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and location. Hazards are, for example, landslides ad soil type. Exposure is a buildings occupancy and function. Vulnerability is the evaluate performance of a buildings system, and loc ation is how often earthquakes occur in the area. (Lagorio) almost other things that have become evident are that geometric control and symmetry are key to constructing an earthquake resistant building. Simplicity often leads to symmetry, and in turn symmetry tends to decrease the likelihood of a preoccupancy of mass. This idea of lighter buildings being safer can be explained mathematically employ the formula F=MA. To understand how this formula works it is pertinent to have sex that earthquakes alone do not cause damage because all they endure is an acceleration.