Applied Technology Council A Nonprofit Corporation Advancing Engineering Applications for Hazard Mitigation California - Washington, DC Area

The Applied Technology Council (ATC) is pleased to announce the immediate availability of the ATC-34 report,A Critical Review of Current Approaches to Earthquake-Resistant Design. Funded by the National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research and the National Science Foundation, this 94-page report documents the history of U. S. codes and standards of practice, focusing primarily on the strengths and deficiencies of current code approaches. The report also identifies goals that a new seismic code should achieve. Arthur E. Ross, Past President of the Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC) and former ATC Board President, says "this report should be required reading for all structural engineers in California and other seismically active states."

Codes and standards addressed by the ATC-34 report include: SEAOC Recommended Lateral Force Requirements (Blue Book), Uniform Building Code, NEHRP Recommended Provisions for Seismic Regulations for New Buildings, the Tri-Services Manual (Seismic Design for Essential Buildings, and Seismic Design for Buildings), and the Natural Phenomena Hazards Design and Evaluation Criteria for Department of Energy Facilities.

The ATC-34 report addresses key seismic design issues, with detailed discussions provided for:

1. Seismic hazard analysis (standard spectral shapes, spectral response maps, probabilistic seismic hazard analysis, and deterministic seismic hazard analysis);
2. Earthquake collateral hazards (surface fault rupture, differential compaction, landsliding, and flooding);
3. Performance objectives;
4. Selection of a seismic framing system, considering redundancy and configuration;
5. Response modification factors (R factors), including a recommended action plan for improving the reliability of R factors;
6. Simplified analysis procedures;
7. Modeling of structural components;
8. Foundation design;
9. Nonstructural component design; and
10. Risk and reliability (fundamentals, techniques to evaluate seismic performance on a probabilistic basis, and optimization-based methods used to select load and resistance factors).

The report was developed under the guidance of a 15-member advisory Project Engineering Panel consisting of leading structural engineering practitioners and researchers from various regions of the United States. Andrew S. Whittaker of the Earthquake Engineering Research Center, University of California at Berkeley, served as Project Director.

Copies of the ATC-34 report can be obtained from: Applied Technology Council, 555 Twin Dolphin Drive, Suite 550, Redwood City, California 94065 (Telephone: 650/595-1542; Fax: 650/593-2320; E-mail: atc@atcouncil.org). Price: $30.00 per copy (within California, add applicable local sales tax; for international destinations, contact ATC for the actual cost of shipping).

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