Earthquake Engineering and Seismic Design of Steel Buildings

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• - perform seismic assessment of steel buildings using state-of-the-art nonlinear analysis methods
• - compute the seismic response of inelastic structures
• - develop appropriate linear and nonlinear structural models for dynamic analysis
• - compute the seismic response of simple elastic structures
• - perform the seismic design of multi-storey steel buildings

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• - the earthquake hazard (sources, magnitude, seismic intensity and site effects)
• - the dynamics of elastic multi-degree-of-freedom systems
• - the dynamics of inelastic single-degree-of-freedom systems
• - the dynamics of elastic single-degree-of-freedom systems
• - the elastic response spectrum
• - different hysteretic rules
• - the behaviour of different seismic-resistant systems such as moment-resisting frames, braced frames, and frames with energy dissipation devices
• - approximate methods for estimating the peak inelastic response
• - modal time history analysis and response spectrum analysis
• - the dynamics of elastic frames with rotational degrees of freedom
• - the framework of Eurocode 8
• - specific seismic design rules for steel buildings
• - nonlinear structural analysis methods and their use for seismic assessment

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• - Use commercially available software to create nonlinear structural analysis models of buildings
• - Compute the elastic and inelastic response spectrum of ground motions using MATLAB or any other programming environment
• - Process accelerograms and compute important characteristics of ground motions using MATLAB or any other programming environment
• - Use commercially available software to perform seismic design and assessment of steel buildings

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Planning and time management
• Communication
• Exercising independent judgment
• Critical appraisal
• Problem solving

• earthquake hazard (sources, magnitude, seismic intensity and site effects)
• dynamics of elastic single-degree-of-freedom systems
• dynamics of inelastic single-degree-of-freedom systems
• response spectrum
• approximate methods for estimating the peak inelastic response
• hysteretic rules
• dynamics of elastic multi-degree-of-freedom systems
• modal time history analysis and response spectrum analysis
• dynamics of elastic frames with rotational degrees of freedom
• specific seismic design rules for steel buildings
• Eurocode 8
• nonlinear structural analysis methods and their use for seismic assessment
• seismic-resistant systems

• 10 lectures on theory of structural dynamics and earthquake engineering
• 10 lectures on nonlinear structural analysis, seismic design, and seismic assessment
• 10 computer lab sessions with instruction and feedback on the use of software and progress towards completion of their project

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.