CONTENTS:

1. Introduction
2. Classification Of Earthquake
3. Seismic Waves
4. Classification Of Seismic Zones In India
5. Hazards Caused By Earthquake
6. Remedial Measures to Minimize the Losses Due to
Earthquakes:
7. Conclusion
8. Reference
 1. INTRODUCTION:
◊ WHAT IS EARTHQUAKE……….?
An earthquake is a sudden rapid shaking of the earth SURFACE caused by the
breaking and shifting of rock beneath the earth’s surface.

◊ The structures able to resist earthquake vibration is known as earthquake resistant structures.
◊ Such Construction is called “EARTHQUAKE RESISTANT BUILDING CONSTRUCTION”.
◊ The force (or) intensity of an earthquake depends upon how much rock breaks and how far it
shifts
◊ Earthquakes are the most powerful events on surface of the earth, and their results are more
dangerous.
◊ Earthquakes do not kill people but poorly constructed buildings kills.
HOW THE EARTHQUAKE IS FORMED……
• Earthquakes are usually caused when rock beneath earth
?
surface suddenly breaks along a fault, suddenly release of
energy causes the seismic waves that make the ground
shake. Leads to earthquake.
(Or)
• When two plates are rubbing against each other. They
don't just slide smoothly. The rocks are still pushing
against each other, but not moving. After a sometime, the
rocks break because of pressure built up in that area.
When the rocks break, the earthquake occurs.

• The spot underground where the rock breaks is called

the focus of the earthquake.

• The place right above the focus is called the epicentre of

the earthquake. The shaking is usually high near the
epicentre
2. CLASSIFICATION OF EARTHQUAKE
• Slight : Magnitude up to 4.9 on Richter Scale
• Moderate : Magnitude 5 to 6.9
• Great : Magnitude 7 to 7.9
• Very Great : Magnitude 8.0 and Above

• Earthquakes are typically measured in units of magnitude.

• the most popular measurement scale called the Richter Scale which MEASURES an earthquake by the size of its
seismic waves on a scale from 1 to 10.
• Each number on this scale is 10 times stronger than the number before it, so 2 is 10 times stronger than 1, 3 is
100 times stronger 2, 4 is 1,000 times stronger 3 and so on.
• It's hard to notice anything less than a 4, and damage may start happening at around a 6 to 7.
• A 10 has never been recorded since humans have recorded earthquakes.
• The strongest quake recorded was a 9.6 in Chile in 1960, and the most recent large earthquake was the 9.0 to 9.1
in Japan
3. SEISMIC WAVES

• When an earthquake occurs the violent breaking of rock releases energy that travels through the
earth in the form of vibrations called seismic waves Seismic
• waves move out from the focus of an earthquake in all directions There are two MAIN types of
seismic waves,
A. BODY WAVES
B. SURFACE WAVES
1 Body waves:

These are the fastest seismic waves moving through the earth. These waves tend to cause
the most earthquake damage. There are two kinds of body waves namely,
1. Primary Waves
2. Secondary Waves

• 2 Surface Waves:

These Are Long , Slow Waves in Nature . They Produce Slow Rocking Sensations And
Cause Little Or No Damage To Structures . These Are Of Two Types Namely,
a. Love Wave.

b. Rayleigh Wave.
 4. CLASSIFICATION OF SEISMIC ZONES IN
Depend On The Seismic Intensity India Is Divided Into 5 Seismic Zones:

o ZONE 1
Since the current classification of zones in India not have any area with
Zone 1.

o ZONE 2
This region is classified as the Low Damage Risk Zone. The IS code
assigns zone factor of 0.10 for Zone 2.

o ZONE 3
This zone is classified as Moderate Damage Risk Zone. The IS code
assigns zone factor of 0.16 for Zone 3.
o ZONE 4
This zone is called the High Damage Risk Zone .
The IS code assigns zone factor of 0.24 for Zone 4.
jammu & Kashmir, himachal Pradesh, uttarkhand
Sikkim,delhi
o Zone 5
It is referred as Very High Damage Risk zone.
IS code assigns, zone factor of 0.36 for zone 5.
The region are Kashmir & the Western
and Central Himalayas.
 5. HAZARDS CAUSED BY EARTHQUAKE :
• Tsunamis: An Earthquake On The Ocean Floor Can Give A Large Push To Surrounding Seawater And Create One Or
More Large , Destructive Waves Called Tsunamis, Also Known As Seismic Sea Waves.
• Tsunamis May Build To Heights Of More Than 100 Feet (30 Meters) When They Reach Shallow Water Near Shore.
• In The Open Ocean, Tsunamis Typically Move At Speeds Of 500 To 600 Miles (800 To 970 Kilometers) Per Hour.

• Ground Motion: The Most Destructive Earthquake Hazards Is Caused By Seismic Waves Reaching the Ground Surface.
At Places Where Human-built Structures Are Located.
• Rock Movements During An Earthquake Can Make Rivers Change Their Course.
• Earthquakes Can Leads to Landslides That Cause Great Damage And Loss Of Life.

• Structural Hazards: Structures fails During A Earthquake When They Are Too Weak To Resist Strong, Rocking Forces.
In Addition , Tall Buildings May Vibrate Widely During An Earthquake & Knock into Each Other.
6. REMEDIAL MEASURES IN CONSTRUCTION TO MINIMISE THE
LOSSES DUE TO EARTHQUAKES:

• Building planning
• Foundation
• Provision of band
• Beam column joints
1. BUILDING PLANNING
• From previous records earthquake failures reveal that
unsymmetrical structure fails during earthquake.
• The unsymmetrical building usually develops torsion
due to seismic forces, which causes development of
crack leading to failure of a structure.
• Building therefore should be constructed rectangular
and symmetrical in plan.
• If a building has to be planned in irregular shape, it
should be treated as the combination of a few
rectangular blocks connected with passages. It will
avoid torsion and will increase resistance to earthquake
forces.
2. FOUNDATION
• IS code recommends that as far as possible entire building should be
founded on uniform soil strata. It is basically provided to avoid
differential settlement.
• In case if loads transmitted on different column, foundation should be
designed to have uniform settlement by changing foundation size as
per code conditions to have a loading intensity for uniform settlement.
• Raft foundation: performs better for seismic forces. If piles are
driven to some depth over which a raft is constructed (raft cum pile
foundation), the behaviour of foundation under seismic load will be
far better.
• Base Isolation: The concept of base isolation is explained through an
example building resting on frictionless rollers. When the ground
shakes, the rollers freely roll, but the building above does not move.
Thus, no force is transferred to the building due to the shaking of the
ground; simply, the building does not experience the earthquake.
3. PROVISION OF BAND
Horizontal bands are the most important earthquake-resistant feature
in buildings. The bands are provided to hold a building as a single
unit by tying all the together.
There are four types bands

• PLINTH BAND: This should be provided in those cases

where the soil is soft or uneven in their properties, as it usually
happens in hilly areas.
• LINTEL BAND: This is the most important band and covers
all door and window lintel.
• ROOF BAND: In buildings with flat reinforced concrete, the
roof band is not required because the roof slab itself acts as a
band.
• GABLE BAND: It is employed only in buildings with pitched
or sloped roofs.
4. BEAM COLUMN JOINTS

• The maximum moments occur at beam-column junction. therefore

spacing of lateral ties in column should be less than 100mm c/c and in
case of beam stirrups should be closely spaced near the joints.
• In case of columns, lateral ties are provided, to increase performance of
columns to earthquake forces for certain extent.
• Steel columns are provided for tall buildings, for the 8 storey height to
increase performance is better than concrete column for earthquake
resistance.
 7 . CONCLUSION
• Earthquake resistant buildings construction are extremely important in earthquake Zone area.
They can resist earthquake forces with very less or no damage.
• In areas where the earthquake resistant buildings can help reduce injury, loss of life, and property
damage during a quake.
• The builders and constructors should adopt the seismic codal provisions in all the future
construction, as prevention is better than cure.
• No structure on the planet can be constructed 100% earthquake proof. only its resistance to
earthquake up to certain magnitude.
 8. Reference
• www.nicee.org

• 2. Murthy, C.V.R.(2003): IITK-BMTPC “Earthquake Tips”, Indian Concrete Institute Journal,Vol.4, Oct.-Dec.
2003 No., pp.31-34.

• 3. Murthy, C.V.R.(2003): IITK-BMTPC “Earthquake Tips”, Indian Concrete Institute Journal,Vol.4, July-Sept.
2003 No., pp.27-32.

• www. SeminarSlide.com

• IS 4326 - 1993 “EARTHQUAKE RESISTANT DESIGN &CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDING” (2nd revision)

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthquake_zones_of_India