NEHRP Clearinghouse

Title
Proceedings from the Site Effects Workshop, National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research. Held in Buffalo, New York on October 24-25, 1991.
File
PB92197201.pdf
Author(s)
Whitman, R. V.
Source
National Science Foundation, Washington, DC.; New York State Science and Technology Foundation, Albany., February 29, 1991, 74 p.
Identifying Number(s)
NCEER-92-0006
Abstract
The report presents some of the conclusions reached and recommendations made at the Site Effects Workshop held at the State University of New York at Buffalo, October 24-25, 1991. Those attending the conference discussed specific recommendations to be made concerning (1) desirable, near-term changes to building code provisions with regard to the categorization of local site conditions and (2) directions for further research leading to more realistic code site-categories in the long-term. Participants addressed the adequacy of existing code formats with respect to site categories and soil factors. They considered the definition of sites by site period instead of code-defined site category. The report also presents recommendations for the use of time history inputs for site-specific design and concludes by calling for: (1) more quantitative descriptions, in terms of soil stiffness and depth of soil strata, of the site categories commonly used in the U.S.; (2) additional site categories representing rocks of differing stiffness; and (3) soil factors that incorporate intensity of ground shaking, impedance contrast between soil column and bedrock, and perhaps source characteristics as well. Appendices include excerpts from French and Greek codes, a list of participants, questionnaire results, some analytical results, etc.
Keywords
; Earthquake resistant structures; Earth movements; Earthquake engineering; Site surveys; Meetings; Soil dynamics; Soil-structure interactions; Soil properties; Surveys; Soil profiles; Building codes; Earthquakes