The general public tends to believe that earthquakes only have a significant horizontal component. However, vertical seismic motion can be very significant and should not be overlooked for the design of buildings. We explore this topic a bit more below.
What are Vertical Seismic Loads?
During earthquakes, the ground motion is...
Relationship to Horizontal Seismic Loads
In general, the vertical seismic loads are less than the horizontal seismic loads. For buildings with a fundamental period greater than 1 second, they are 50% or less compared to horizontal accelerations.
When are they Relevant?
Vertical seismic motions become particularly relevant for:
- Long span beams in excess of 20 m
- Cantilevers more than 5 m long
How to Calculate Vertical Seismic Loads
Coming soon...