A brief description is given of the origins and evolution of seismic design codes and practices in Mexico. The Mexico City Building Code is more deeply examined since, for many years, it has been a reference document in Mexico for the drafting of most of the Mexican codes, which, by law, are of municipal competence. Problems related to the implementation of building codes in Mexico are discusse...

It is hypothesized that interplay of earthquake, soil, foundation and structure (SFS) dynamic characteristic, and their interaction in time domain, control the behavior of SFS system during earthquakes. Moreover, (passive and active) control of spatial and temporal location of seismic energy dissipation (preferably in soil) can improve safety and economy of SFS systems. Such energy dissipation ...

Performance based seismic design (PBSD) is a cogent design approach that allows engineers to design structures with a predictable seismic performance for a specified level of hazard. In contrast to the conventional limit state or strength and serviceability based design in which a structure is designed to withstand severe load combinations and be functional under normal load conditions, PBSD go...

Safety of the personnel of a nuclear power plant (NPP) and the environment around the plant should be ensured against all natural hazards including earthquakes. With public safety as the paramount concern, NPP facilities are designed to withstand low-probability, high-magnitude earthquakes. In this paper, details are discussed regarding the evolution of seismic analysis and design aspects of nu...

The paper presents the world state-of-the-art of the Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) provided with seismic isolation and focuses on the main problems related to the application of this technology to so peculiar structures, characterized by high masses, large sizes and severe safety requirements due to the possibility of relevant accidents with release of radioactivity and other extremely dangerous ...

Unreinforced masonry (URM) structures are known to be rather vulnerable to seismic loading. Modern URM buildings with reinforced concrete (RC) slabs might, however, have an acceptable seismic performance for regions of low to moderate seismicity. In particular in countries of moderate seismicity it is often difficult to demonstrate the seismic safety of modern URM buildings by means of force-ba...

Although the benefits of using timber in midand high-rise construction are undisputed, there are perceived shortcomings with respect to the ductility needed to provide seismic resistance and a corresponding lack of appropriate design guidance. Overcoming these perceived shortcomings will allow timber, and its wood product derivatives, to further expand into the multi-storey construction sector,...

The ground motion at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, was evaluated, and its effect on siting and conceptual design of a prospective nuclear waste repository was considered. Two levels of ground motion are proposed in this report for seismic design, the higher level for design of facilities classified as important for off-site radiological safety, the lower level for on-site safety. It is recommended th...