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October 1, 2016

Seismic Loads for Design of Structures (UBC-1997)

Calculation of seismic loads for analysis of structure is required when earthquake resistant
structure is to be designed. Structural Engineers use different design codes/guidelines for
calculation of earthquake loads. Widely accepted codes for calculation of seismic loads are,
Uniform Building Code 1997 (UBC-97), International building code (IBC), ASCE-7-10, Building
code of Pakistan (seismic provisions), Indian standard (IS-1893). Here in this article we shall
cover the method of calculating seismic forces de ned in UBC-97.

 Earthquake loads are determined on the basis of seismic zone, site characteristics, occupancy
category, structural con guration and structural system. Earthquake resistant structure must

withstand forces and displacements induce by ground motion during event of earthquake. In


section 1626, UBC de nes:


“ The purpose of the earthquake provisions herein is primarily to safeguard against
0 major structural failures and loss of life, not to limit damage or maintain function.
SHARES

It means that earthquake resistant structures are designed to prevent life loss and major
structural failures, minor damage within acceptable limit may occur during earthquake.

Terminologies
 Z = Seismic Zone Factor, See Table 16-I
I = Seismic Importance Factor, See Table 16-K
R = Ductility Coe cient, See Table 16-N
Ca = Seismic Coe cient, See Table 16-Q
Cv = Seismic Coe cient, See Table 16-R
Na = Near Source Factor, See Table 16-S
Nv = Near Source Factor, See Table 16-T

Design Data
Before starting calculations for seismic forces, you need to make following data available.

Occupancy Category, I
Section 1629.2 Occupancy categories de nes importance factor I or Ip for each category. The
importance factor is useful when base shear is calculated. For Importance factor, please see
table 16-K provided in UBC-97.

Soil Pro le Type

Soil pro le type is determined based on different properties of soil and generally provided in
soil investigation report for the site. UBC-97 de nes Soil Pro le Types SA, SB, SC, SD and  SEin
Table 16-J,  Soil Pro le Type SF is also de ned but as  soils requiring site-speci c
evaluation. please see table 16-J provided in UBC-97.

Seismic Zone
Seismic zone is most important element in determining seismic forces. according to UBC-97
guidelines, Each structure shall be assigned a seismic zone factor Z, in accordance with Table
16-I. Now the question is how to determine seismic zone for some particular area? UBC-97
de nes seismic zones for USA in gure 16-2. For other areas on globe, seismic zone maps are
available over internet (must be obtained from authentic source).

Seismic Response Coe cients , Ca & Cv

Seismic coe cients Ca and Cv are used to calculate base shear. these coe cients and
dependent on soil pro le type and seismic zone factor. Values for Ca and Cv are provided in
 table 16-Q and table 16-R, respectively.

Near Source Factor for Zone 4, Na & Nv

For sites located in Zone 4, near source factors Na and Nv are assigned according to
seismic source type and distance from the seismic source. Seismic source type is de ned
in Table 16-U. Values for Na and Nv are provided in tables 16-S and 16-T,
respectively.  These factors are then used to calculate seismic response coe cients for
zone-4.

Calculating Seismic Loads

Base Shear, V
Uniform building code (UBC-97), de nes base shear as total lateral force at bottom of structure
due to ground motion during an earthquake.

When following, section 1630.2 Static Force Procedure, total design base shear (V) in a given
direction shall be calculated using following formula.

                   UBC Eq. (30-4)

The total design base shear calculated from above equation should be lesser than the
following

                   UBC Eq. (30-5)

But, it shall be greater than the following.

                   UBC Eq. (30-6)

In addition, for Seismic Zone 4, the total base shear shall also greater than the following.

                   UBC Eq. (30-7)
T, in equation 30-4, is time period for building/structure in seconds. T can be calculated using
following formula.

                   UBC Eq. (30-8)

where,

Ct = 0.035 (0.0853) for steel moment-resisting frames.

Ct = 0.030 (0.0731) for reinforced concrete moment-resisting frames and
eccentrically braced frames.
Ct = 0.020 (0.0488) for all other buildings.
hn = Total height of structure above the base.

* values in ( ) to be followed when using metric system of units.

Vertical Distribution of Shear (Story Shear), Vx

The design story shear, Vx, in any story is the sum of the forces Ft and Fx above that story. The
base shear calculated from above set of equations is distributed over the height of the building
according to the following Equation.

                   UBC Eq. (30-15)

Where

                     UBC Eq. (30-14)

Ft should be < 0.25V for T > 0.7 seconds

for T < 0.7 seconds.

The shear force at each story is then calculated using following equation.

                   UBC Eq. (30-13)
 Where,

n = number of stories above the base of the building

Ft = the portion of the base shear, concentrated at the top of the structure to
account for higher mode effects
Fi, Fn, Fx = Lateral forces applied at levels i,n,or x, respectively.
hi, hn, hx = Height above the base to levels i,n,or x, respectively
Vx = design shear in story x

Horizontal Distribution of Shear

Story shear, Vx shall be distributed to the various elements of the vertical lateral-force-resisting
system in proportion to their stiffness. Distribution of story shear shall be in form of ‘horizontal
torsional moments’ and ‘overturning moments’.

Story Drift, ΔS
The story drift ΔS, corresponding to the design seismic  forces calculated above  shall be
determined using dynamic analysis techniques. Expression for Maximum Inelastic Response
Displacement, ΔM is used for calculation the story drift. 

ΔM = 0.7 R ΔS                    UBC Eq. (30-17)

Vertical Component
The requirement of calculation vertical component for seismic forces is applied in Seismic
Zones 3 and 4 only. Horizontal cantilever components  shall be designed for following  net
upward force.

In addition to all other applicable load combinations, horizontal prestressed components shall

be designed using not more than 50 percent of the dead load for the gravity load, alone or in
combination with the lateral force effects.
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Article by Junaid Ahmad / Design Loads / Base Shear, Earthquake, lateral loads, Seismic loads, structures, UBC-1997, Uniform building code
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