Introduction to Dynamics of Structures and Earthquake Engineering

Abstract

The aim of this new book is to provide an elementary, but comprehensive, textbook which can be adopted for the courses of earthquake engineering at both the School of Engineering and the School of Architecture of the Politecnico di Torino, providing in an easy and accessible way the latest updates in the field. No previous knowledge of structural dynamics is assumed, making this book suitable for the reader that is learning the subject for the first time. However, the following background is required: • Static analysis of structures including statistically indeterminate structures and matrix formulation • Rigid body dynamics • Mathematics: linear algebra and ordinary and partial differential equation With respect to other classical books on dynamics of structures, this book emphasizes the application of energy methods and the analysis in the frequency domain with the corresponding visualization in the Gauss-Argant plan. Emphasis is also given to the applications of numerical methods for the solution of the equation of motion and to the ground motion selection to be used in time history analysis of structures which are more frequently used in current practice due to the increasing computational power of computers in the last decade. The book is organized in three main parts: I. “Dynamics of Structures” II. “Introduction to Earthquake Engineering” III. “Seismic Design of Buildings” Part I introduces the main concepts of dynamics of structures. Part II introduces the basic concepts of seismology, the seismic hazard analysis, and the different analysis methods. Part III describes how to model structures in a seismic zone and the basic concepts of capacity design (Chap. 15) as well as the new innovative techniques for the retrofit of new and existing buildings, such as passive energy dissipating systems (Chap. 17), tuned mass dampers (Chap. 18), and base isolation (Chap. 19). Chapter 20 focuses on the seismic behavior of masonry structures,