Seismic Isolated Structures: Concept, Review, Design and Worldwide Application

This online engineering PDH course provides basic information on the concept and design of worldwide applications of seismic isolated structures.

It is well-known that seismic isolation increases the fundamental period of vibration of a building so that accelerations in the superstructure can be reduced significantly. This reduction is offset in terms of displacements, which increase substantially with the vibration period. However, in the presence of isolation devices, these displacements can be concentrated at the base of the building, while the superstructure behaves almost like a rigid body.

This course provides an introduction on the basic concepts of seismic isolation and on the applications to new strategic and public buildings, as well as to new residential buildings, pointing out the very good behavior shown by the seismically isolated structures during real seismic events. It also focuses on the retrofit of existing buildings, which represents the real challenge for the future. The most interesting applications on existing reinforced concrete, masonry and historic structures are also presented, pointing out the specific challenges for each case.