DESIGN OPTIONS FOR EARTHQUAKE RESISTANCE IN NEW BUILDINGS [INFOGRAPHIC]

Earthquakes generate massive amounts of energy that have built up in the Earth’s crust with virtually no warning. Because of this, it is an engineer’s responsibility to design a building that can withstand the forces associated with this release of energy and protect those who live or work inside the building. Structural engineering has come a long way when designing buildings in high seismic areas, but more can be done.

Due to modern code requirements, most new buildings are very safe and will have a low casualty risk from seismic events. However, just because the building is designed to basic code and will not collapse, it can still experience significant damage. So much so that the building may need to be completely demolished. Furthermore, the codes do not require much protection for the contents of the building and non-structural components in the building.

Although there are many technologies that are designed to help buildings become more earthquake resistant, fluid viscous dampers have many clear advantages. To get a better understanding of an engineers options when it comes to designing earthquake resistant buildings, check out the following infographic.release