AS 1170.

4/Amdt 2/2018-02-22

STANDARDS AUSTRALIA

Amendment No. 2
to
AS 1170.4—2007
Structural design actions
Part 4: Earthquake actions in Australia

REVISED TEXT
The 2007 edition of AS 1170.4 is amended as follows; the amendments should be inserted in the appropriate
places.
SUMMARY: This Amendment applies to the Preface, Clauses 1.1, 1.2, 1.3.8, 1.4, 2.2, 3.3 and 4.2.2, Figures 2.2
and 3.2(A) to 3.2(G), Tables 2.1, 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3, Appendix A and Bibliography.
Published on 22 February 2018.

AMDT Text of this Standard

No. 2
FEB Replace the term ‘hazard factor (Z)’ with ‘hazard design factor (Z)’ wherever it occurs.
2018

AMDT Preface
No. 2
FEB Delete the text and replace with the following:
2018
This Standard was prepared by the Australian members of Joint Standards
Australia/Standards New Zealand Committee BD-006, General Design Requirements and
Loading on Structures, to supersede AS 1170.4—1993, Minimum design loads on
structures, Part 4: Earthquake loads.
This Standard incorporates Amendment No. 1 (August 2015) and Amendment No. 2
(February 2018). The changes required by the Amendments are indicated in the text by a
marginal bar and amendment number against the clause, note, table, figure or part thereof
affected.
After consultation with stakeholders in both countries, Standards Australia and Standards
New Zealand decided to develop this Standard as an Australian Standard rather than an
Australian/New Zealand Standard.
The objective of this Standard is to provide designers of structures with earthquake actions
and general detailing requirements for use in the design of structures subject to earthquakes.
This Standard is Part 4 of the 1170 series, Structural design actions, which comprises the
following parts. Parts 0, 1 and 5 have a commentary document published as a Supplement:
AS/NZS
1170 Structural design actions
1170.0 Part 0: General principles
1170.1 Part 1: Permanent, imposed and other actions
1170.2 Part 2: Wind actions
1170.3 Part 3: Snow and ice actions
AS
1170.4 Part 4: Earthquake actions in Australia (this Standard)
NZS
1170.5 Part 5: Earthquake actions—New Zealand

ISBN 978 1 76072 001 8

 Amendment No. 2 introduces the following changes to AS 1170.4—2007:
(a) Minor editorial and correction amendments.
(b) Introduction of minimum hazard design factor 0.08.
(c) The hazard maps in Figures 3.2(A) to 3.2(G) have been updated to reflect the new
minimum hazard design factor of 0.08.
The Standard has been drafted to be applicable to the design of structures constructed of
any material or combination thereof. Designers will need to refer to the appropriate material
Standard(s) on detailing requirements additional to those contained in this Standard.
This Standard is not equivalent to ISO 3010:2001, Basis for design of structures—Seismic
actions on structures, but is based on equivalent principles. ISO 3010 gives guidance on a
general format and on detail for the drafting of national Standards on seismic actions. The
principles of ISO 3010 have been adopted, including some of the detail, with modifications
for the low seismicity in Australia. The most significant points are as follows:
(i) ISO 3010 is drafted as a guide for committees preparing Standards on seismic actions.
(ii) Method and notation for presenting the mapped earthquake hazard data has not been
adopted.
(iii) Some notation and definitions have not been adopted.
(iv) Details of the equivalent static method have been aligned.
(v) Principles of the dynamic method have been aligned.
The term ‘normative’ has been used in this Standard to define the application of the
appendix to which it applies. A ‘normative’ appendix is an integral part of a Standard.
Notes to the text contain information and guidance. They are not an integral part of the
Standard.

AMDT Clause 1.1

No. 2
FEB 1 Add new Item (h) as follows:
2018
(h) Transmission line towers.
2 Add new Note 3 as follows:
3 For bridges and related structures, see AS 5100.2.

AMDT Clause 1.2

No. 2
FEB Delete second last and last entries and replace with the following:
2018
Australian Building Code Board (ABCB)
NCC National Construction Code
National Association of Steel-Framed Housing
NASH Standard—Residential and low-rise steel framing, Part 1, Design criteria

AMDT Clause 1.3.8

No. 2
FEB Delete the text ‘Building Code of Australia’ and replace with ‘National Construction
2018 Code’.
AMDT Clause 1.4
No. 2
FEB Replace entry ‘Z’ with the following:
2018
Z = earthquake hazard design factor modified from an acceleration coefficient
with an annual probability of exceedance of 1/500.

AMDT Clause 2.2

No. 2
FEB Item (a), delete the text ‘BCA’ and replace with ‘NCC’.
2018

AMDT Table 2.1

No. 2
FEB Delete the Table and replace with the following:
2018
TABLE 2.1
SELECTION OF EARTHQUAKE DESIGN CATEGORIES
Importance (k p Z) for site sub-soil class
level, type of Structure Earthquake
structure height, h n design
(see E e or D e Ce Be Ae (m) category
Clause 2.2)
Not required to
be designed for
1 — —
earthquake
actions
Top of
Refer to
roof
Domestic Appendix A
8.5
structure —
(housing) Top of Design as
roof importance
>8.5 level 2
12 I
0.08 0.08 0.11 0.14 >12, <50 II
50 III
2 <50 II
0.08 >0.08 to 0.12 >0.11 to 0.17 >0.14 to 0.21
50 III
<25 II
>0.08 >0.12 >0.17 >0.21
25 III
<50 II
0.08 0.12 0.17 0.21
50 III
3
<25 II
>0.08 >0.12 >0.17 >0.21
25 III
<25 II
4 —
25 III
NOTES:
1 Values for k p and Z are given in Section 3. Site sub-soil class are given in Section 4.
2 A higher earthquake design category or procedure may be used in place of that specified.
3 Height (hn) is defined in Clause 1.5. For domestic structures refer to Appendix A.
4 In addition to the above, a special study is required for importance level 4 structures to demonstrate they
remain serviceable for immediate use following the design event for importance level 2 structures.
AMDT Figure 2.2
No. 2
FEB Delete the figure and replace with the following:
2018

Str ucture location and impor tance level

Annual probabilit y of exceedance (from AS/NZS 1170.0 or NCC)
k p , Z value (Section 3)
1 Determine

Does the str ucture comply with the definition of Yes

Appendix A
domestic str uctures (Housing) and is h n ≤ 8.5
2 Look up
No

Soil class, A, B, C, D or E (Section 4)

3 Determine EDC (Table 2.1)

4 Apply EDC I EDC II EDC III

Use Clause 5.2 Use Clause 5.2 Use Clause 5.2

Clause 5.3 Clause 5.4 Clause 5.5
Simple static check Static analysis Dynamic analysis
(Section 6) (Section 7)

5 Design par ts EDC I EDC II EDC III

and components (Clause 5.3) (Section 8) (Section 8)

AMDT Table 3.1

No. 2
FEB In the Note, delete the text ‘BCA’ and replace with ‘NCC’.
2018

AMDT Table 3.2

No. 2
FEB Delete all entries with Z factors 0.08 and below (Albany, Alice Springs, Ballarat, Bathurst,
2018 Brisbane, Burnie, Cairns, Canberra, Coffs Harbour, Cooma, Dubbo, Gold Coast, Grafton,
Hobart, Launceston, Lismore, Mackay, Melbourne, Noosa, Orange, Port Macquarie,
Rockhampton, Sydney, Tamworth, Taree, Toowoomba, Townsville, Tweed Heads, Uluru,
Woomera, Cocos Islands, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island).
AMDT Clause 3.3 and Table 3.3 (new)
No. 2
FEB After Table 3.2 add the following new Clause 3.3 and Table 3.3:
2018

3.3 THE PRODUCT k pZ

The minimum value of the product kp Z shall be in accordance with Table 3.3.

TABLE 3.3
MINIMUM kpZ VALUES FOR AUSTRALIA
Annual probability
Minimum value of kp Z
of exceedance
1/500 0.08
1/1000 0.10
1/1500 0.12
1/2000 0.14
1/2500 0.15
AMDT Figures 3.2(A) to 3.2(G)
No. 2
FEB Delete Figures 3.2(A) to 3.2(G) and replace with the following:
2018

FIGURE 3.2(A) HAZARD DESIGN FACTOR (Z) FOR NEW SOUTH WALES, VICTORIA
AND TASMANIA
FIGURE 3.2(B) HAZARD DESIGN FACTOR (Z) FOR SOUTH AUSTRALIA
FIGURE 3.2(C) HAZARD DESIGN FACTOR (Z) FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA
FIGURE 3.2(D) HAZARD DESIGN FACTOR (Z) FOR SOUTH-WEST OF WESTERN
AUSTRALIA
FIGURE 3.2(E) HAZARD DESIGN FACTOR (Z) FOR NORTHERN TERRITORY
FIGURE 3.2(F) HAZARD DESIGN FACTOR (Z) FOR QUEENSLAND
 HAZARD DESIGN FACTOR (Z)
FIGURE 3.2(G)

AMDT Clause 4.2.2

No. 2
FEB Delete Item (a) and replace with the following:
2018
(a) A compressive strength between 1 MPa and 50 MPa inclusive or an average
shear-wave velocity, over the top 30 m, greater than 760 m/s.

AMDT Paragraph A1, Appendix A

No. 2
FEB First paragraph, delete the text ‘Building Code of Australia’ and replace with ‘National
2018 Construction Code’.
AMDT Bibliography
No. 2
FEB Add the following to the list of Australian Standards:
2018
5100 Bridge design
5100.2 Part 2: Design loads