Abstract:
A qualitative assessment of seismic effects on a
regular building located in Palestine is presented. The assessment
is based on two distinct approaches, one by following
recommendations from the International and Uniform Building
Codes (IBC and UBC) and the other using response spectra
inferred from international historical records whose level of
seismicity compares to those in Palestine. The study shows that
both the IBC and UBC tend to underestimate the maximum
response of structures whose fundamental period of vibration
falls between 0.1s and 3s. The difference reduces gradually for
periods above 3s. The rate of underestimating the seismic effects
varies with the fundamental period of vibration of the structure
and its distance from the Dead Sea Fault Line, but it can be up to
~ 50%. It thus appears necessary to address such differences by
taking into account local seismic conditions in the region of
Palestine through a new local design code.
