Some Mechanics Problems in Earthquake Engineering

Abstract

Since the beginning of earthquake engineering research in the United States in the 1920's, this discipline has proved to be a particularly fruitful source of interesting problems in applied mechanics. Some examples of the earliest such problems are the development of the response spectrum as a tool in analysis and design, the development of nonlinear hysteretic models of structural response for dynamic loading, and the application of the theory of stochastic processes to problems in modeling of strong ground motion and structural response. An additional class of problems has arisen from efforts to understand the effects of soil-structure interaction on structural response. The need for dynamic analyses in order to understand and simulate earthquake response has also been one of the major factors behind the development of modern computer codes for structural analysis.