Earthquake resistant engineering
Is my home safe?
I hope everybody is safe after the earthquake. At this time, you might be asking the question, “Will my house withstand an earthquake of greater magnitude?” Or, “what can I do to structurally retrofit my home to withstand an earthquake?”
First, the difference between a magnitude 5.7 earthquake and a 7 is more than 10 times. Homes built in the last 20-30 years have been built based on the International Building Code. The code requires a lateral analysis and design to resist the forces from wind and earthquakes. When a home is constructed, there are many things that are done to resist the forces from ground shaking. During this last earthquake, most homes should have performed just fine. If we have an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0, most structures are designed to minimize loss of life and ensure that you can exit safely, but are not designed to remain serviceable. A structural assessment and post-event reconstruction may be warranted.
The extra cost to design a home and provide hardware to resist earthquakes with greater magnitude are relatively inexpensive. Often, people spend more money on upgraded granite countertops than the cost to install extra hardware to resist and an earthquake with greater magnitude.
Now that your home is built, what can you do to structurally retrofit your home to resist an earthquake of greater magnitude? Surprisingly, there are many things that can be done that are relatively inexpensive. It starts with a structural inspection and calculations to determine the shear forces on the structure. In many cases, simply adding hardware can substantially increase the lateral resistance of the home. For older homes, methods to reinforce concrete blocks and unreinforced masonry are used.
I have designed homes and buildings in Utah, Alaska, South Pacific, Tennessee and California since 1998 and have performed lateral analysis to design structures that can withstand an earthquake. To date, I have designed over 10,000 homes in Utah.
If you have any questions about the structural integrity of your home, please call Brad Gilson, S.E. at 801-694-7770