Foundation Design: Principles and Practices (3rd Edition)
Foundation Design: Principles and Practices (3rd Edition)
3rd Edition
ISBN: 9780133411898
Author: Donald P. Coduto, William A. Kitch, Man-chu Ronald Yeung
Publisher: PEARSON
bartleby

Concept explainers

Textbook Question
Book Icon
Chapter 5, Problem 5.1QPP

The second paragraph of this chapter argues that a retail building that is damaged during an earthquake and must be demolished may not constitute a failure. Do you agree with this assessment? Defend your position.

Expert Solution & Answer
Check Mark
To determine

Whether the given assessment is agreeable that a retail building that was damaged during an earthquake and must be demolished may not constitute a failure.

Explanation of Solution

An argument which is as follows:

A retail building and a hospital, both of which are constructed in a seismically active area and are designed considering the maximum likely earthquake for the area. Several years after the structures are built, the design earthquake occurs.The building did not collapse during the earthquake and no lives were lost. However, both buildings suffer some significant structural damage and must be demolished. Did both buildings fail during the earthquake?

The argumentthat the hospital building failed and the retail store didn’t is credible. The claim is valid as the design objectives built into the international building codes and modern building codes, that categorize structures based on their risk to human life and put these two structures in different categories with different performance requirements. The retail structure comes in the category II structure with substantial hazard to human life in the event of failure.

The design requirements for the retail structure are not to collapse during the design earthquake and allow occupants to safely exit the building, but it is not expected to survive the design earthquake.

Therefore, the retail structure is not a failure and is built according to the specifications.

Want to see more full solutions like this?

Subscribe now to access step-by-step solutions to millions of textbook problems written by subject matter experts!
03:55
Students have asked these similar questions
The numerous steps of the overall structural testing method in which you're participating are listed here.
What is the seismic coefficient? And how to determine it?
What is the main difference in constructing a residential building and an industrial building? How would you make both building types safe and functional?

Additional Engineering Textbook Solutions

Find more solutions based on key concepts
Knowledge Booster
Background pattern image
Civil Engineering
Learn more about
Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, civil-engineering and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.
Similar questions
SEE MORE QUESTIONS
Recommended textbooks for you
Text book image
Fundamentals Of Construction Estimating
Civil Engineering
ISBN:9781337399395
Author:Pratt, David J.
Publisher:Cengage,