Structural Engineers Association of Northern California Newsletter - March 1996

Bulletin Board

Publications

WHITE PAPER ON PUBLIC POLICY AND BUILDING SAFETY NEW EERI ENDOWMENT FUND PROJECT

The development of this white paper is one of the projects supported by the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute's Endowment fund. It is the first in a series of reports to be produced by the Endowment program.

The White paper, Public Policy and Building Safety, is being sent to 1996 EERI members. Additional copies are available from EERI for $5 to cover the cost of shipping and handling.

For further information on programs supported by the EERI Endowment Fund or to find out how you can contribute to it, please contact Majorie Greene at 510/451-0905, fax 510/451-5411, e-mail susant@eerc.berkeley.edu.

1995 NEHRP PROFESSIONAL FELLOWSHIP REPORT

Yousef Bozorgnia, SEAONC member, recipient of the 1995 EERI/FEMA National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program Professional Fellowship, has completed his research and published the results of his work in a report titled Vertical Responses of Twelve Instrumented Structures Recorded during the Northridge earthquake.

Bozorgnia spent the six-month fellowship studying vertical ground motion and vertical responses of several instrumented structures recorded during the January 17, 1994, Northridge earthquake. The structures examined included four steel buildings, five concrete structures, three base-isolated buildings, ranging in height from 2 to 14 stories; and a reservoir of a filtration plant. Spectral analysis techniques were carried out for various recorded accelerations from which power spectral density functions, transfer functions, crossspectra, coherence functions, and phase angles were computed. Based on the spectral analyses, vertical natural frequencies of the structural elements and systems were identified.

The results of the research are described in the 275-page report, co-authored by Stephen Mahin, professor of civil engineering at the University of California at Berkeley, and Dr. A. Gerald Brady of U.S. Geological Survey. Each chapter represents a study of one structure. For some structures, the authors also analyzed the recordings of structural response from previous earthquakes, such as the 1971 San Fernando and 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquakes, and compared them with the recordings at Northridge. The final chapter of the report evaluates the results of the research and discusses the current seismic provisions in the building code concerning vertical acceleration.

Bozorgnia's report is now available from Earthquake Engineering Research Institute. To obtain a free copy of the report, please send $5 for shipping and handling to EERI, 499 14th Street, #320, Oakland, CA 94612-1934. For information on other EERI/FEMA reports or to receive a publications catalog, contact the EERI office at 510/451-0905, fax 510/451-5411, e-mail: susant@eerc.berkeley.edu.

REPORT ON U.S. TESTING FACILITIES FOR EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING RESEARCH

An assessment of national research and test facilities for earthquake engineering research was conducted by EERI in response to the directive issued in Public Law 103-374 and signed by President Clinton on October 20, 1994.

Sixty-five of the nation's leading experts in earthquake engineering research gathered in San Francisco on July 31 and August 1, 1995, to discuss the state of existing experimental capabilities and needs for the future. Twelve commissioned papers were presented to stimulate discussions in break-out groups.

The newly published proceedings of this workshop contain an executive summary of the assessment and the twelve commissioned papers with the authors' conclusions and recommendations on the topics relative to the four issues addressed in the Senate bill: "(1) the need for shake tables and other earthquake engineering research and testing facilities in the United States; (2) options to cooperate with other countries that have developed complementary earthquake engineering and testing programs and facilities; (3) projected costs for construction, maintenance, and operation of new earthquake engineering research and testing facilities in the U.S.; and (4) options and recommendations to provide funding for the construction and operation of new earthquake engineering and testing facilities(...)".

The project was made possible by a grant from the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Assessment of Earthquake Engineering Research and Testing Capabilities in the United States: Proceedings was prepared by the EERI's Committee on Experimental Research for submittal to NSF and NIST. The proceedings are available from EERI for $15 plus $5 shipping & handling; California residents need to add an applicable sales tax (or 8.25%).

The Executive Summary- sent to EERI members in December 1995-provides condensed statements that reflect the general findings and key recommendations of the workshop participants, and can be obtained from the EERI office for $5 to cover the cost of shipping and handling.

EARTHQUAKE INFORMATION SOURCES NEW PAMPHLET IN EARTHQUAKE BASIC SERIES

The second brief in the Earthquake Basics series has been finalized and is now available from EERI. The brief was compiled to provide EERI members and others involved in earthquake hazard mitigation a short guide to information sources relevant to their interests.

The authors canvassed the broad range of information providers in natural hazards, and selected those organizations they thought most pertinent to EERI's diverse interests. for each organization selected, they provided a mission statement, described the organization's special strengths, and listed products or services offered. Because the Internet has become a more widely accepted and important means of distributing information, the Internet resources of these organizations are emphasized. Anonymous ftp sites, gopher servers, and World Wide Web applications on the internet are listed with brief directions on how to access them.

The 20-page pamphlet, Earthquake Basics Brief #2: Earthquake Information Sources, was sent to all EERI members in December 1995. Single copies are free and can be obtained by contacting the EERI office.

The Earthquake Basics projects has been developed by the EERI Committee on Innovative Technology Transfer and involves creating a series of brief pamphlets, with occasional supporting slide sets, on a variety of relevant subjects to improve earthquake risk management policies and practices. The first brief in the series, and the accompanying slides, was on the topic of liquefaction. The brief and the slide sets are still available from EERI.

For more information on the Earthquake Basics briefs and slides, or to receive the latest publications catalog, please contact The EERI office at 499 14th Street, #320, Oakland, CA 94612-1934, phone 510/451-0905, tax 510/451-5411, e-mail: susant @eerc. berkeley.edu.