TABLE OF CONTENTS This last chapter presents a discussion of the role of building codes in geotechnical earthquake engineering. The geotechnical engineer should always review local building codes and other regulatory specifications that may govern the seismic design of the project. Types of information that could be included in the building code are as follows:
1. Earthquake potential: The building code may specify the earthquake potential for a given site. For example, Fig. 5.17 presents the seismic zone map for the United States ( Uniform Building Code 1997). The seismic potential often changes as new earthquake data are evaluated. For example, as discussed in Sec. 3.4.3, one of the main factors that contributed to the damage at the Port of Kobe during the Kobe earthquake was that the area had been previously considered to have a relatively low seismic risk, hence the earthquake design criteria were less stringent than in other areas of Japan.
2. General requirements: The building code could also specify general requirements that must be fulfilled by the geotechnical engineer. An example is presented in Sec. 1.1, where the Uniform Building Code (1997) requires an analysis of the potential for soil liquefaction and soil strength loss during an earthquake. This code provision also requires that the geotechnical engineer evaluate the potential consequences of any liquefaction and soil strength loss, including the estimation of differential settlement, lateral movement, and reduction in foundation bearing capacity, and discuss mitigating measures.
3. Detailed...
