Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering

Description

Earthquake engineering is the study of the behaviour of buildings and structures subject to seismic loading. It is a subset of both structural and civil engineering. Earthquake engineering is an interdisciplinary branch of engineering that designs and analyses structures, such as buildings and bridges, with earthquakes in mind. Its overall goal is to make such structures more resistant to earthquakes. An earthquake (or seismic) engineer aims to construct structures that will not be damaged in minor shaking and will avoid serious damage or collapse in a major earthquake.
Earthquake construction ensures that structures resist earthquake shocks by the integration of seismic designs throughout their expected life, in conformity with the building codes applicable in the region. Earthquakes destabilise buildings either by direct effects of the seismic waves, or indirectly through soil liquefaction and landslides.
Geotechnical engineering uses principles of soil and rock mechanics to investigate the subsurface conditions and materials used in construction to evaluate stability of natural slopes and man made soil deposits assess risks posed by site conditions.
The book supplies the latest concepts design methodologies and analytical techniques for mitigating the effects of seismic damage to structures. It discusses the fundamentals of earthquake engineering, explaining the causes of earthquakes and faulting measurement of earthquakes and characterisation of seismicity.