CEE 227 -- Earthquake Resistant Design General Information

University of California at Berkeley
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Instructor: Stephen A. Mahin
Spring Semester 2009
CEE 227 -- Earthquake Resistant Design
General Information
Course Objectives
This course integrates information from various engineering and scientific disciplines in
order to provide a rational framework for the design of earthquake-resistant structures.
As such, the course touches upon pertinent information from engineering seismology,
geotechnical engineering, economic, risk and reliability theory, sustainable development,
and architecture in addition to advanced topics related to structural dynamics, analysis
and design. The focus of the course is on building structures, but general issues are
covered related design of bridges, industrial facilities and other types of structures that
are allowed to respond in the inelastic range in the event of a major earthquake. The
course emphasizes understanding the fundamental factors that influence and control the
response of such structures, establishing a performance-based framework with which to
assess seismic response, selecting project appropriate structural systems, configurations
and proportions, and developing effective, but simplified, design procedures capable of
reliably achieving specified performance goals.
Course Outline
1. Introduction. -- Basis of earthquake engineering design philosophies: role of
uncertainty and the management of risk, an 'ideal' approach and some practical
simplifications, limit state approaches, approaches adopted in current and emerging
building code provisions. Special design considerations when permitting inelastic
structural response are highlighted; limitations of historic analysis-based design
approaches and introduction to "capacity design" concepts. Establishing a basis for
performance-based earthquake engineering. Earthquake engineering issues relevant
to sustainable development.
2. Engineering Characterization of Earthquake Ground Motions. -- Sources of
earthquake ground motions; measures of earthquake intensity and damage potential;
effects of local soil conditions on ground shaking; engineering estimation of ground
motion characteristics based on deterministic and probabilistic approaches.
3. Response of Simple Structural Systems to Different Types of Ground Motion. --
Assessment of the effect of structural system and ground motions on the response of
simple single- and multiple-degree-of-freedom systems. Emphasis on identifying
desirable characteristics of structures for various types of ground shaking, and on
developing simplified procedures suitable for estimating seismic response during the
preliminary design process.

CE 227 – Earthquake Engineering Design (Introduction) 2
4. Development of Design Earthquakes for Linear Structural Response. -- Identification
of critical parameters -- influence of local soil conditions and structural damping;
development of design spectrum.
5. Development of Design Earthquakes for Nonlinear Structural Response. -
Identification of critical parameters -- influence of local soil conditions, viscous
damping, duration of shaking, nonlinear mechanical characteristics of the structure,
and geometric nonlinearities; development of design spectra from ground motion
and structural characteristics; displacement estimates; alternative spectra formats;
extension of design spectra to multi-degree of freedom systems.
6. Analytical Procedures for Preliminary/Conceptual Design and Proportioning of
Structural Systems. – Review of simple plastic theory; estimation of the maximum
strength and deformation capacities of structural systems; simplifications for design
of multistory structures; application of capacity design methods. Emphasis on
ductile moment-resisting frames and braced frames. Methods discussed to control
displacements and other response parameters of structural interest.
7. Code Related Issues. -- Basis and limitations of current code provisions for
structural analysis and design. Future trends. Nonlinear static pushover procedures
for evaluation of new and existing structures, development of target displacements.
8. Basic Performance-based Evaluation and Design Issues. -- Lessons from past
earthquakes; quantification of performance objectives and levels for seismic
resistant design; Selection of analysis procedures; numerical modeling of structural
systems. Estimation of fragility functions and quantifying the confidence of a
structure’s ability to achieve a targeted performance objective. Current and
emerging guidelines for the evaluation of existing and new structures.
9. Applications. -- Steel (and to a lessor extent reinforced concrete) details to insure
member and connection ductility; basic design considerations for moment-resisting
frames and concentrically braced frames. Application of concepts to structures
employing seismic isolation or utilizing supplemental energy dissipation devises.
Self-centering systems.
Prerequisites
Students are expected to have a background in structural analysis and structural
dynamics. A basic understanding of inelastic structural analysis is required. Courses such
as CEE 220 and CEE 225, or their substantial equivalent, satisfy this requirement.
Students uncertain about the adequacy of their preparation should contact the instructor.

CE 227 – Earthquake Engineering Design (Introduction) 3
Course Organization
Lectures:
Discussion Session:
Tu-Th 11 AM -12:30 PM; 534 Davis Hall
time and location TBD
The weekly discussion session will be devoted to discussion of the conceptual and
analytical approaches presented in the class and for help in solving homework
assignments. Make up lectures will be, to the extend possible, held in the time slot
assigned to the discussion section. The time of the discussion session may be changed to
make it more convenient for students to attend.
Exams: There will be two 80 minute long midterms. There will be no final exam, but a
final term project will be required.
Term Project: The term project may be done individually or in groups of two. The intent
of the term project is for the student to undertake a significant, but short project related to
the design or analysis of structures, development of software to assist in the seismic
resistant design of structures, or other application of the material learned in the course.
The choice of topic is left to the student, but instructor approval is required. A separate
handout will describe the scope and requirements for the term project. Larger groups are
possible, but require special prior approval by the instructor.
Grades: Grades will be based on performance on homework assignments, several
midterm quizzes, and a final term project, according to the following approximate
weights: 25%, 40% and 35%.
Contact Information
Instructor: Prof. Stephen Mahin Teaching Assistant: Abby Enscoe
Office: 777 Davis Hall 504 Davis Hall
Phone: 510-693-6972 (Mobile)
Email: mahin@berkeley.edu enscoe@berkeley.edu
Office Hours: TuTh 12:45-2:00 PM
TBD
Course Web Site
A website has been developed for the class. It provides a means of accessing copies of
class notes prior to the lecture (please download these if you would like to have them
during the lectures), copies of handouts, homework assignments and solutions,
references, practice exams and study questions, various photos and movies, and links to
various other web sites related to earthquake engineering. There is also a class blog for
timely communication of late breaking information about the class. The website can be
accessed at:
URL: http://web.mac.com/smahin/CE227-09/CE227.html
User Name: ce227
Password: Berkeley

CE 227 – Earthquake Engineering Design (Introduction) 4
Required Course Materials
The course does not have a textbook per se. The field of earthquake engineering design
is changing quite rapidly, and few books currently provide adequate coverage of all of the
topics covered in the course. Extensive course notes and references will be provided online.
You will need to go to the library to find some necessary references.
Students are expected to regularly read papers and sections of reports to prepare for
exams, complete homework assignments and execute the class project. Specific reading
assignments will be made from the following sources:
1. Introduction to Structural Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering by Anil
Chopra, Prentice Hall, 2001.
2. ASCE/SEI Standard 41-06 Seismic Rehabilitation of Existing Buildings, ASCE,
2006 (available early 2007), or NEHRP Guidelines for the Seismic
Rehabilitation of Buildings (FEMA 356), FEMA/ASCE, Washington DC, 1997.
ASCE 41 is costly, so we will focus mainly on FEMA 356. Download FEMA
356 from: http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/earthquake/professionals.shtm
3. State of the Art Report on Performance Prediction and Evaluation of Steel
Moment-Frame Structures (FEMA 355F), FEMA, Washington, DC. Download
from class web site.
4. Improvement of Nonlinear Static Seismic Analysis Procedures (FEMA 440),
FEMA, Washington DC. Download from
http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/earthquake/professionals.shtm
5. The 2003 NEHRP Recommended Provisions For New Buildings And Other
Structures (FEMA 450) FEMA, Washington DC, 2000. Download from
http://www.bssconline.org/NEHRP2003/provisions/
6. Seismic Evaluation and Upgrade Criteria for Existing Welded Steel Moment-
Frame Buildings (FEMA 351), FEMA, Washington DC, July 2000.
http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/earthquake/professionals.shtm
Hard copies of these and other FEMA documents can be obtained for free by calling
1-800-480-2520.
A basic reading list is provided. Additional reading assignments will be announced in
class, and posted on the website or listed in the homework assignments. A more
extensive set of reading material is provided on the class web site.
Several SAC/FEMA state-of-the-art reports are of particular interest to the class. These
include will be available for down load from the class website. Of special interest to this
class are:
1. FEMA 355C, State of the Art Report on Systems Performance of Steel Moment
Frames Subject to Earthquake Ground Shaking

CE 227 – Earthquake Engineering Design (Introduction) 5
2. FEMA 355E, State of the Art Report on Past Performance of Steel Moment-
Frame Buildings in Earthquakes.
Hardcopies of these and similar SAC reports on steel construction in seismic areas can be
obtained for a fee from: http://www.atcouncil.org.
Computer Software
Several computer programs will be utilized in the course to illustrate concepts and to
complete homework assignments. These include:
1. Homework assignments will require matrix computations and numerical
integration. As such, students are expected to be familiar with and have access to
Matlab, MathCAD, Excel or similar software.
2. The program BiSpec, used for computing the response of single degree of
freedom subjected to one or two horizontal components of excitation. This
program will be extensively used and should be downloaded from:
http://www.ce.berkeley.edu/~hachem/bispec/index.html . Program manuals (online
and downloadable PDF files) can be obtained from the same site.
3. Students will complete a number of assignments related to the nonlinear static
and dynamic analysis of simple 2D framed structures. The computer program to
be used is left to the student. Various computer programs are available:
a. OpenSEES Navigator - Available for download from:
http://peer.berkeley.edu/OpenSeesNavigator/
This program is a Matlab-based application and requires Matlab 6.1 or
higher, in addition to a copy of OpenSEES computational framework (see
http://opensees.berkeley.edu/). A tutorial on installing and using these
programs will be given in the discussion sections).
b. Fedeas Lab – Available at:
http://www.ce.berkeley.edu/~filippou/FEDEASLab/FEDEASLab.htm
This program is very powerful and simpler to use than OpenSees. It is
also used as the primary analytical platform in CE 221. A fully
operational version, capable of nonlinear static and dynamic analysis of
structures will be available soon after the beginning of the semester.
c. CSI Perform, SAP, ETABS, etc – various versions of Perform, SAP and
ETABS (and other commercial programs) may be on the department
computer system and otherwise available to students.
Reference Material
A wide variety of reference material is available. For example, several good (but
expensive) textbooks exist. These may provide useful information on a number of topics
not covered by course notes. These books include:
1. Earthquake Engineering: From Engineering Seismology to Performance-
Based Engineering, Yousef Borzorgnia and Vitelmo Bertero, Eds., CRC Press,
2004 (available on line from http://melvyl.cdlib.org)

CE 227 – Earthquake Engineering Design (Introduction) 6
2. Earthquake Engineering Handbook, W-F. Chen, C. Scawthorn, CRC Press,
2002.
3. Introduction to Structural Motion Control, Connor, J. J. Prentice Hall, August
2002.
4. Seismic Design For Architects: Outwitting the Quake, Architectural
Press/Elsevier, 2008.
5. The Seismic Design Handbook, F. Naeim, Ed., Kluwer Academic Publishers,
2001
6. Introduction to Structural Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, Anil
Chopra, Prentice Hall, 2001.
7. Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering, Steven Kramer, Prentice Hall, 1996.
8. Earthquake Engineering, Hu, Y-X, Liu, S-C and Dong, W, E&FN Spon,
London, 1996
9. Earthquake Risk Reduction, Dorwick, D., Wiley, New York, NY, 2003.
10. Design of Earthquake Resistant Buildings, Wakabayashi, M., McGraw-Hill,
New York, NY, 1986.
11. Fundamentals of Earthquake Engineering, Newmark, N. and Rosenblueth, E.,
Prentice Hall, New York, NY, 1971.
12. Fundamentals of Earthquake Engineering, Elnashai, A. and Sarno, L., Wiley,
2008.
13. Design of Ductile Steel Structures, Bruneau, M., Uang, C-M, and Whittaker, A.,
McGraw-Hill, 1997.
14. Steel Structures: Controlling Behavior Through Design, Robert Englekirk,
Wiley, 1995.
15. Seismic Design of Reinforced Concrete and Masonry Buildings, Paulay, T. and
Priestley, N., John Wiley & Sons, 1992.
16. Seismic Design and Retrofit of Bridges, M. J. N. Priestley, F. Seible, G. M.
Calvi, Wiley-Interscience, 1996.
Some other useful, code-related documents include:
1. Recommended Seismic Design Criteria for New Steel Moment-Frame
Buildings, FEMA 350, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Washington
DC, July 2000. http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/earthquake/professionals.shtm
2. Recommended Post-Earthquake Evaluation and Repair Criteria for Welded Steel
Moment-Frame Buildings (FEMA 352), FEMA, Washington DC, July 2000.
http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/earthquake/professionals.shtm
3. Specifications and Quality Assurance Guidelines for Steel Moment-Frame
Construction for Seismic Applications (FEMA 353), FEMA, Washington DC,
http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/earthquake/professionals.shtm
4. SEAOC, Recommended Lateral Force Requirements and Commentary (the
“Blue Book”), Sacramento, CA, 1999 (see http://www.seaoc.org/)

CE 227 – Earthquake Engineering Design (Introduction) 7
5. California Building Code, Title 24, California Administrative Code, 2007 edition
(see: http://www.bsc.ca.gov/title_24/default.htm)
6. HAZUS, a natural hazard loss estimation methodology, FEMA in partnership
with the National Institute of Building Sciences, Washington DC.
http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/hazus/index.shtm
Note that hardcopies of FEMA documents may be generally obtained for free by calling
1-800-480-2520.
Web-Based Resources
A number of specific links are provided on the class website. Some particularly
important sources of information include:
1. The National Information Service for Earthquake Engineering (NISEE) has its
library at the Richmond Field Station. It has the worlds largest library related to
earthquake engineering. The WWW site for NISEE has a variety of user features,
including an on-line search feature, library of earthquake damage photos,
downloadable computer programs, and so on. The homepage for NISEE is
http://nisee.berkeley.edu/
In addition to a Earthquake Engineering On-Line Archive of Berkeley related
information and conference proceedings, the Earthquake Engineering Abstracts
allows you to get access and download papers from most journals in the world
related to earthquake engineering.
2. The Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research (PEER) Center. The center
headquarters are located on the 3 rd floor of Davis Hall. A variety of reports, and
other information can be obtained from: http://peer.berkeley.edu