Comparison of recent U.S. seismic codes

Abstract

This paper compares National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP), Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC), ASCE 7, and Uniform Building Code (UBC) seismic design provisions to address the differences in their philosophies and applicabilities. These documents are compared by focusing on issues such as (1) purpose of earthquake codes; (2) type of document and target audience; (3) lateral forces; and (4) analysis provisions. NEHRP and ASCE 7 documents are based on strength design while UBC and SEAOC are based on allowable or working stress design. There are other fundamental differences among these documents such as the required methods of analysis, building importance, detailing requirements, soil amplification factors, drift control and P-delta amplification, and the method of assigning an importance factor. Several tables and graphs are presented to illustrate the similarities and differences among these codes.

Publication Title

Journal of Structural Engineering

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