New Free Guide Helps Explain How Buildings are Designed to Resist Earthquakes

A new publication from the American Institute of Steel Construction (a Living Steel Supporting Member) presents an overview of the causes of earthquakes, the earthquake effects that damage structures, the structural properties that are effective in minimizing damage, and the organization and intent of seismic design requirements for steel structures in the U.S. today, and also looks at the future of seismic design. While Facts for Steel Buildings Number 3: Earthquakes and Seismic Design was written prior to and does not directly address the situation in Haiti, the reader gains a basic understanding of earthquake engineering and the U.S. buildings codes that are designed to prevent this level of catastrophe. The publication is available as a free download at www.aisc.org/facts.

AISC’s Facts series provides a look at the background and philosophy on various topics without delving into heavy technical details. They are written to be understood by both engineers and laypeople. The previous two installments are Facts for Steel Buildings Number 1: Fire and Facts for Steel Buildings Number 2: Blast and Progressive Collapse. They are available as free downloads from www.aisc.org/facts.