Earthquake-Resistant Building Design Using Modern Materials

Abstract

Earthquake is one of the most devastating natural hazards that bring a lot of human, economic and infrastructural damages globally. Conventional methodologies of seismic design, which have relied on most of the conventional materials, like reinforced concrete and structural steel, proved to be inefficient when they are exposed to high-intensity ground movements, and repetitive seismic actions, and long-term material erosion. In recent decades, it has been evidenced that the modern construction materials, such as fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP), shape memory alloys (SMA), engineered cementitious composites (ECC), ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC), and base isolation elastomers have been developed due to the advance in the material science and they have enhanced the mechanical, damping, and energy-dissipation properties. The paper is an elaborate investigation on resistant building design to earthquakes using modern materials with regards to their mechanical performance, mechanisms of improving their seismic performances as well as their applications within the structural systems. The research paper also provides a review of the philosophies of seismic design in the modern world, the development of materials that are resistant to earthquakes, and their application in enhancing structural resilience, ductility, and tolerance to damages. An elaborate methodology will be presented which incorporates the performance-based seismic design, nonlinear structural analysis, and constitutive modeling that is material specific. Comparative analysis shows that incorporation of modern material in buildings ensures lower inter-story drift, better dissipation of energy, and enhanced functionality of the building after the occurrence of an earthquake in comparison with traditional systems. The results point to the qualities of modern materials in changing the foundation of the seismic design traditions and building sustainable and resilient urban infrastructure. The purpose of this paper is to enable researchers and practicing engineers who wish to incorporate modern materials in the construction of the earthquake resistant buildings.