Earthquake design categories

[degenn]

AS3600 (including the latest draft I've seen) and AS4100 give earthquake detailing requirements for earthquake detail categories A to E. They were defined in AS1170.4-1993 but are no longer defined in AS1170.4-2007 so you are in a bit of a black hole trying to be consistent.

Does anyone know if this is going to be fixed or if there is any commentaries?

 

[rowingengineer]

I thought the draft was updated. shows how much i know.

Arguing with an engineer is like wrestling with a pig in mud. After a while you realize that them like it

 

[IDS]

The last public draft dates from 2005 and notes that the earthquake requirements had been revised to be consistent with the then draft AS 1170.4, so I presume the final 3600 will be revised as required to be consistent with the final 1170.4.

Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services

http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/

 

[asixth]

The bridge code is another one that has some ambiguity between the two code revisions. The EDC (Earthquake Design Category) of a bridge is a function of a*S (a being the acceleration and S the site factor, 0.67 for rock, >2 for "Slop").

The S factor which multiplied by a Earthquake Co-efficient C would give you an elastic response spectrum.

These factors S and C have been replaced by a new individual factor Ch(T) which has a different elastic response spectrum curve for each site class.

What we have found ourselves doing for Earthquake designs using AS5100 is to take the hazard factor Z from AS1170.4-2007 and the site factor S from AS1170.4-1993 for the determination of the Earthquake Design Category.