Earthquake early warning application to buildings

Abstract

In California, United States, an earthquake early warning system is currently being tested through the California Integrated Seismic Network (CISN). The system aims to provide warnings in seconds to tens of seconds prior to the occurrence of ground shaking at a site; since the system broadcasts the location and time of the earthquake, user software can estimate the arrival time and intensity of the expected S-wave. However, the shaking experienced by a user in a tall building will be significantly different from that on the ground. This paper provides a method to develop engineering applications in earthquake early warning system using Performance-based Earthquake Engineering framework. An example is included to estimate the characteristics of shaking that can be expected in mid-rise to high-rise buildings. Potential engineering applications (e.g. elevator control) for buildings based on the prediction of building shaking level are also addressed.