Earthquake simulation applies a real or simulated vibrational input to a structure that possesses the essential features of a real seismic event. Earthquake simulations are generally performed to study the effects of earthquakes on man-made engineered structures, or on natural features which may present a hazard during an earthquake. EPET

Dynamic experiments on building and

non-building structure A nonbuilding structure, also referred to simply as a structure, refers to any body or system of connected parts used to support a load that was not designed for continuous human occupancy. The term is used by architects, structural engin ...

s may be physical – as with shake-table testing – or virtual (based on computer simulation). In all cases, to verify a structure's expected

seismic performance Seismic analysis is a subset of structural analysis and is the calculation of the response of a building (or nonbuilding) structure to earthquakes. It is part of the process of structural design, earthquake engineering or structural assessment ...

, researchers prefer to deal with so called 'real time-histories' though the last cannot be 'real' for a hypothetical earthquake specified by either a

building code A building code (also building control or building regulations) is a set of rules that specify the standards for constructed objects such as buildings and non-building structures. Buildings must conform to the code to obtain planning permission ...

or by some particular research requirements.

Shake-table testing

Studying a building's response to an earthquake is performed by putting a model of the structure on a shake-table that simulates the

seismic loading Seismic loading is one of the basic concepts of earthquake engineering which means application of an earthquake-generated agitation to a structure. It happens at contact surfaces of a structure either with the ground, or with adjacent structures, o ...

. The earliest such experiments were performed more than a century ago.

Computational approaches

Another way is to evaluate the earthquake performance analytically. The very first earthquake simulations were performed by statically applying some ''horizontal inertia forces'', based on scaled

peak ground acceleration Peak ground acceleration (PGA) is equal to the maximum ground acceleration that occurred during earthquake shaking at a location. PGA is equal to the amplitude of the largest absolute acceleration recorded on an wikt:accelerogram, accelerogram at a ...

s, to a mathematical model of a building. With the further development of computational technologies,

static Static may refer to: Places *Static Nunatak, a nunatak in Antarctica United States * Static, Kentucky and Tennessee *Static Peak, a mountain in Wyoming **Static Peak Divide, a mountain pass near the peak Science and technology Physics *Static el ...

approaches began to give way to

dynamic Dynamics (from Greek δυναμικός ''dynamikos'' "powerful", from δύναμις ''dynamis'' "power") or dynamic may refer to: Physics and engineering * Dynamics (mechanics) ** Aerodynamics, the study of the motion of air ** Analytical dynam ...

ones. Traditionally, numerical simulation and physical tests have been uncoupled and performed separately. So-called ''hybrid testing'' systems employ rapid, parallel analyses using both physical and computational tests.

References

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External links

Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES)AEM Earthquake Simulation
Building Earthquake engineering

Shake-table testing

Computational approaches

See also

References

External links