Earthquakes
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To look deeper into the codes, read Chapter 2 of the Hiner book and Chapter 4 of Seismic Analysis and Design of Buildings.  For more information on Seismic Design, take a look at the Resources Page and our article on Seismic Waves; Types and Categories.

Orginizations for Earthquakes and Seismic Design

Each of the organizations that develop the codes for structural design has very important mission statements and goals. It is important to understand these for practice as a professional engineer and to have a basic understanding of the concepts for the PE exam.  You can expect to see this information on the PE, so at least take a list with you on exam day. California specific seismic test-takers will need to have a deeper understanding for effective of problem-solving.

Below is a bulleted list of missions and goals for the main organizations involved in codes and standards:

NEHRP – National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program

  • Develop effective practices and policies for earthquake loss reduction to accelerate their implementation
  • Improve techniques for reducing earthquake vulnerabilities of facilities and systems
  • Improve earthquake hazards identification and risk assessment methods, and their use
  • Improve the understanding of earthquakes and their effects

ASCE – American Society of Civil Engineers

  • The Structural Engineering Institute writes standards and influences codes.

ICC – International Code Council

  • The vision of the ICC is to protect the health, safety, and welfare of people by creating better buildings and safer communities.
  • The mission of the ICC is to provide the highest quality codes, standards, products and services for all concerned with the safety and performance of the built environment.

Other organizations include the Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC) who’s mission is available here and the Applied Technology Council (ATC), a non-profit that develops and promotes engineering research, resources, and applications.

Codes & Standards for Earthquakes and Seismic Design

Below is a list of the codes and standards used for seismic design and hazard mitigation in the structural engineering field, with links to the individual resources.

Please feel free to comment below or contact us for more information or requests!