Seismic Loads Based on IBC 2012/ASCE 7-10

Based on Section 1613.1 of IBC 2012, Every structure, and portion thereof, including
nonstructural components that are permanently attached to structures and their supports
and attachments, shall be designed and constructed to resist the effects of earthquake
motions in accordance with ASCE 7, excluding Chapter 14 and Appendix 11A. The
seismic design category for a structure is permitted to be determined in accordance with
Section 1613 or ASCE 7.
Exceptions:
1. Detached one- and two-family dwellings, assigned to Seismic Design Category A, B
or C, or located where the mapped short-period spectral response acceleration, SS, is less
than 0.4 g.
2. The seismic force-resisting system of wood-frame buildings that conform to the
provisions of Section 2308 are not required to be analyzed as specified in this section.
3. Agricultural storage structures intended only for incidental human occupancy.
4. Structures that require special consideration of their response characteristics and
environment that are not addressed by this code or ASCE 7 and for which other
regulations provide seismic criteria, such as vehicular bridges, electrical transmission
towers, hydraulic structures, buried utility lines and their

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Analysis Procedure
1- Determination of maximum considered earthquake and design spectral response
accelerations:
Determine the mapped maximum considered earthquake MCE spectral response
accelerations, S s for short period (0.2 sec.) and S1 for long period (1.0 sec.) using
the spectral acceleration maps in IBC Figures 1613.3.1(1) through 1613.3.1(6).
Where S1 is less than or equal to 0.04 and S s is less than or equal to 0.15, the
structure is permitted to be assigned to Seismic Design Category A.
Determine the site class based on the soil properties. The site shall be classified as
Site Class A, B, C, D, E or F in accordance with Chapter 20 of ASCE 7. Where
the soil properties are not known in sufficient detail to determine the site class,
Site Class D shall be used unless the building official or geotechnical data
determines Site Class E or F soils are present at the site.

Determine the maximum considered earthquake spectral response accelerations

adjusted for site class effects, S MS at short period and S M 1 at long period in
accordance with IBC 1613.3.3.
S MS = Fa S s
S M 1 = Fv S1

where:
Fa = Site coefficient defined in IBC Table 1613.3.3(1).
Fv = Site coefficient defined in IBC Table 1613.3.3(2).

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 Determine the 5% damped design spectral response accelerations S DS at short

period and S D1 at long period in accordance with IBC 1613.3.4.
S DS = (2 / 3) S MS
S D1 = (2 / 3) S M 1

where:
S MS = The maximum considered earthquake spectral response accelerations for
SM 1

short period as determined in section 1613.3.3.

= The maximum considered earthquake spectral response accelerations for
long period as determined in section 1613.3.3.

2- Determination of seismic design category and Importance factor:

Risk categories of buildings and other structures are shown in IBC Table 1604.5.
Importance factors, Ie , are shown in ASCE 7-10 Table 1.5-2. Structures classified as
Risk Category I, II or III that are located where the mapped spectral response
acceleration parameter at 1-second period, S1 , is greater than or equal to 0.75 shall be
assigned to Seismic Design Category E. Structures classified as Risk Category IV that
are located where the mapped spectral response acceleration parameter
at 1-second period, S1 , is greater than or equal to 0.75 shall be assigned to Seismic
Design Category F. All other structures shall be assigned to a seismic design category
based on their risk category and the design spectral response acceleration parameters,
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S DS and S D1 , determined in accordance with Section 1613.3.4 or the site-specific

procedures of ASCE 7. Each building and structure shall be assigned to the more severe
seismic design category in accordance with Table 1613.3.5(1) or 1613.5.5(2),
irrespective of the fundamental period of vibration of the structure.

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3- Determination of the Seismic Base Shear:

The structural analysis shall consist of one of the types permitted in ASCE 7-10 Table
12.6-1, based on the structures seismic design category, structural system, dynamic
properties, and regularity, or with the approval of the authority having jurisdiction, an
alternative generally accepted procedure is permitted to be used. The analysis procedure
selected shall be completed in accordance with the requirements of the corresponding
section referenced in Table 12.6-1.

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3.1 Equivalent Lateral Force Analysis:

Section 12.8 of ASCE 7-10 shall be used.
The seismic base shear V in a given direction is determined in accordance with
the following equation:
V = Cs W

where:
W = effective seismic weight

The effective seismic weight, W, of a structure shall include the dead load above the
base and other loads above the base as listed below:
1. In areas used for storage, a minimum of 25 percent of the floor live load shall be
included.
Exceptions
a. Where the inclusion of storage loads adds no more than 5% to the effective seismic
weight at that level, it need not be included in the effective seismic weight.
b. Floor live load in public garages and open parking structures need not be included.
2. Where provision for partitions is required in the floor load design, the actual
partition weight or a minimum weight of 0.48 kN/m2 of floor area, whichever is
greater.
3. Total operating weight of permanent equipment.
Cs = Seismic response coefficient

S DS
(R / I e )

R = response modification factor, given in ASCE 7-10 Table 12.2-1

I e = importance factor

The value of Cs shall not exceed the following:

Cs =

S D1
for T TL
T (R / I e )

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Cs =

S D1 TL
for T > TL
T (R / I e )
2

The value of Cs shall not be less than:

Cs = 0.044 S DS I e

0.01

For structures located where S1 is equal to or greater than 0.6g, Cs shall not be less than
Cs =

0.5 S1
(R / I e )

where:
T = fundamental period of the structure
TL = long-period transition period, (given in ASCE 7-10 Figure 22), which is the

transition period between the velocity and displacement-controlled portions of the

design spectrum (about 5 seconds for Gaza Strip).
An approximate value of Ta may be obtained from:
Ta = Ct hn

where:
hn = height of the building above the base in meters
Ct = building period coefficient given in Table 12.8-2
x = constant given in Table 12.8-2

The calculated fundamental period, T , cannot exceed the product of the coefficient, Cu ,
in Table 12.8-1 times the approximate fundamental period, Ta .

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Table 12.8-1: Coefficient for upper limit on calculated period

Design Spectral Response, S D1
0. 4

0.3
0.2
0.15
0.1

Coefficient Cu
1.4
1.4
1.5
1.6
1.7

In cases where moment resisting frames do not exceed twelve stories in height and
having a minimum story height of 3 m, an approximate period Ta in seconds in the
following form can be used:
Ta = 0.1 N

where N = number of stories above the base

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3.2 Vertical Distribution of Seismic Forces:

Fx = Cvx V

and
Cvx =

wx hx

w
i =1

wn

wx
h

w1
h

where:
Fx = Lateral force at level x
Cvx = Vertical distribution factor
V = total design lateral force or shear at the base of the building
wx and wi = the portions of W assigned to levels x and i

hx and hi = heights to levels x and i

k = a distribution exponent related to the building period as follows:
k = 1 for buildings with T less than or equal to 0.5 seconds
k = 2 for buildings with T more than or equal to 2.5 seconds
Interpolate between k = 1 and k = 2 for buildings with T between 0.5 and 2.5

3.3 Horizontal Distribution of Forces and Torsion:

Horizontally distribute the shear Vx
x

Vx = Fi
i =1

where:
Fi = portion of the seismic base shear, V , introduced at level

Accidental Torsion, M ta
M ta = Vx (0.05 B )
Total Torsion, M T M T = M t + M ta

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3.4 Story Drift:

The story drift, , is defined as the difference between the deflection of the center of
mass at the top and bottom of the story being considered.
x =

Cd xe
Ie

Where:
Cd = deflection amplification factor, given in Table 12.2-1

xe = deflection determined by elastic analysis

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4- Seismic Load Effects and Combinations:

4.1 Seismic Load Effect
Use E = QE + 0.2 S DS D for these combinations

Use E = QE 0.2 S DS D for these combinations

The vertical seismic load effect, S DS , is permitted to be taken as zero when SDs is equal
to or less than 0.125.
4.2 Load Effect with Over-strength Factor

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4.3 Redundancy:
The value of is permitted to equal 1.0 for the following:
1. Structures assigned to Seismic Design Category B or C.
2. Drift calculation and P-delta effects.
3. Design of collector elements.
4. Design of members or connections where the seismic load effects including overstrength factor are required for design.
5. Diaphragm loads.
For structures assigned to Seismic Design Category D, E, or F, shall equal 1.3
unless one of the following two conditions is met, whereby is permitted to be
taken as 1.0:
a. Each story resisting more than 35 percent of the base shear in the direction of interest
shall comply with Table 12.3-3.
b. Structures that are regular in plan at all levels provided that the seismic force-resisting
systems consist of at least two bays of seismic force-resisting perimeter framing on each
side of the structure in each orthogonal direction at each story resisting more than 35
percent of the base shear. The number of bays for a shear wall shall be calculated as the
length of shear wall divided by the story height or two times the length of shear wall
divided by the story height, hsx , for light-frame construction.

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Example (8):
For the building shown in Example (1), using IBC 2012/ASCE 7-10, evaluate the forces
at the floor levels perpendicular to axes 1-1, 2-2, 3-3 and 4-4.
Note that site class is D, S s = 0.25 g and S1 = 0.10 g .
Solution:
Using Tables 1613.3.3(1) and 1613.3.3(2), short-period site coefficient Fa =1.60
and long-period site coefficient Fv = 2.40 .
Maximum considered earthquake spectral response accelerations adjusted for site
class effects are evaluated.
S MS = Fa S s = 1.60 (0.25 g ) = 0.4 g

and

S M 1 = Fv S1 = 2.40 (0.10 g ) = 0.24 g

The 5% damped design spectral response accelerations S DS at short period and

S D1 at long period in accordance are evaluated.
2
2
S DS = S MS = (0.40 g ) = 0.267 g
3
3
2
2
S D1 = S M 1 = (0.24 g ) = 0.16 g
3
3

Occupancy importance factor, I e =1.0 as evaluated from IBC 2012 Table 1604.5
and ASCE 7-10 Table 1604.5.
From Table 1613.3.5(1) and for S DS = 0.267 g , Seismic Design Category (SDC) is
B. For S D1 = 0.16 g and using Table 1613.3.5(2), SDC is C. Therefore, seismic
design category (SDC) is C.
For ordinary shear walls and using ASCE 7-10 Table 12.2-1, response
modification coefficient R = 5.0 .
The seismic base shear V in a given direction is determined in accordance with
the following equation:
V = Cs W
Cs =

S DS
S D1

(R / I e )
T (R / I e )
0.044 S DS I e

0.01

Approximate period Ta = 0.049 (21)0.75 = 0.48 sec .

Cu Ta = 1.58 (0.48) = 0.758 sec . > 0.48 sec.
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Cs =

0.267
0.16
= 0.0534 <
= 0.0667 > 0.044 (0.267 )
5.0
(5.0) (0.48)

O.K

i.e., C s = 0.0534
The seismic base shear V = 0.0534 (1814.4) = 96.89 tons
Vertical distribution of forces:
w x hx

Fx = Cvx V and Cvx =

w
i =1

hk i

K = 1.038 (from linear interpolation).

x

Shear forces Vx = Fi
i =1

Vertical Distribution of Forces:

hx

wx (hx )

1.038

Cvx

7
6
5
4
3
2
1

wi
259.2
259.2
259.2
259.2
259.2
259.2
259.2

21
18
15
12
9
6
3

495.09
361.61
249.39
158.26
88.05
38.54
9.38

0.35
0.26
0.18
0.11
0.06
0.03
0.01

Fx
34.26
25.02
17.26
10.95
6.09
2.67
0.65

1814.4

1400.32

1.00

96.89

Level

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