N

W E
SEISMIC S
WAVES AND
RECORDING
INSTRUMENTS
Florencio, Julia Bien
Ogalesco, Rica Joy
CIV151
A REVIEW
• A wave is a disturbance that • Seismic waves are generated by many
transfers energy through a medium. different processes:
• Earthquakes
• Waves are very common in nature:
light is a wave, sound is a wave, • Volcanoes
ocean surf is generated by waves, • Explosions (especially nuclear bombs)
and even matter has wave-like • Wind
properties. • Planes (supersonic)
• People
• Vehicles
 SEISMIC
WAVES
Seismic waves are the
waves of energy caused
by the sudden breaking of
rock within the earth or
an explosion. They are
the energy that travels
through the earth and is
recorded on
seismographs.
Source: UPSeis
 Purposes of Earthquake
Instrumentation

HAZARD STRUCTURES RISK

Source: “Why Monitor Earthquakes?” from Seismology Research Centre

Purposes of Earthquake Instrumentation
• Hazard – study of earthquakes and their effects, where they occur, how big and
how often (the task of a seismologist).
ü origin time and rupture duration.
ü earthquake location – epicentre and depth.
ü earthquake size – magnitude, rupture area.
ü rupture process – focal mechanism.
• Vulnerability of structures – prevent collapse and minimise structural damage
(the task of an earthquake engineer).
üThe response of a structure is found by comparing motion on the structure and
at its foundation with nearby bedrock motion.
• Risk – alerts, warnings and alarms for preparation and emergency response (the
tasks of management and operating staff).
üHazard Recurrence Estimates
üAlerts
üForecasts
üPredictions WHY MONITOR
üWarnings
EARTHQUAKES?
üAlarms
 N
E

SEISMIC WAVES:
RECORDING INSTRUMENTS
 SEISMOGRAPH
• A seismograph is an instrument for
measuring earthquake (seismic)
waves. They are held in a very
solid position, either on the bedrock
or on a concrete base.
Seismographs are used to determine:
ü Magnitude: the size of the
earthquake
ü Depth: how deep the earthquake
was
ü Location: where the earthquake
occurred
 HOW DOES A
HORIZONTAL
SEISMOGRAPH
WORK?
• Seismograph station records
Earth's movement.
• The suspended mass
remains at rest as the spring
and pivoting knife absorb
most of the motion during
an earthquake.
• The instrument shifts back
and forth due to the oblique
travel direction of the P
wave and the shearing
movement of the S wave.
 HOW DOES A
VERTICAL
SEISMOGRAPH
WORK?
• Drum-style vertical
seismograph station
records up-and-down
movement.
• Seismographs are
designed so that slight
earth vibrations move the
instrument.
• The suspended mass
remains at rest as the
spring absorbs some of
the motion.
TRADITIONAL
SEISMOGRAPH
HOW DOES A
SEISMOMETER
WORK?
• A seismometer is the internal part
of the seismograph, which may be a
pendulum or a mass mounted on a
spring.
• Seismometer used in earthquake
studies are highly sensitive to
ground movements, so that
movements as small as
1/10,000,000 centimeters (distances
almost as small as atomic spacing)
can be detected at very quiet sites.
 SEISMOGRAM
• A seismogram is the
recording of the ground
shaking at the specific location
of the instrument. On a
seismogram, the HORIZONTAL
axis = time (measured in
seconds) and the VERTICAL
axis= ground displacement
(usually measured in
millimeters).
• It typically records motions
in 3 cartesian axis. X Y Z.

• Z = perpendicular to the
earth’s surface.

• X,Y = parallel to the

surface.
 DIGITAL
SEISMOGRAPH
ACCELEROGRAPH
Accelerographs record the acceleration of the
ground with respect to time. Within the
accelerograph, there is an arrangement of
three accelerometer sensing heads.

ACCELEROMETER
According to DPWH Guidelines and
Implementing Rules on Earthquake
Recording Instrumentation for Building
(2015):

A sensing equipment that measures seismic

acceleration and pass the information to
accelerograph for further processing and
conversion to the intensity, velocity and
displacement.
 PURPOSES OF
ACCELEROGRAPH

Structural Provide Secondary Upgrade

Health Immediate Disaster Building Codes
Monitoring & Alarm Management & Disaster
Recording Annunciation System Management

Source: DPWH Guidelines and Implementing Rules on Earthquake Recording Instrumentation for Building (2015)
 ACCELEROGRAM
Accelerograms are recorded through
accelerograph, they are recording of
acceleration as a function of time
during earthquakes.
Accelerograph is an instrument that records
the ground acceleration during an earthquake.
These recordings from the accelerograph are
what are called accelerogram.

There are three transducers in the

accelerograph from which three components of
the motion are recorded. One transducer
records the vertical motion while the two
remaining transducers record the horizontal
motions (Trifunac and Todorovska, 2001).
 Triaxial Movement Recording

ACCLERATION
VELOCITY
DISPLACEMENT
Source: DPWH Guidelines and Implementing Rules on Earthquake Recording Instrumentation for Building (2015)
Source: DPWH Guidelines and Implementing Rules on Earthquake Recording Instrumentation for Building (2015)
Source: DPWH Guidelines and Implementing Rules on Earthquake Recording Instrumentation for Building (2015)
Source: DPWH Guidelines and Implementing Rules on Earthquake Recording Instrumentation for Building (2015)
Source: DPWH Guidelines and Implementing Rules on Earthquake Recording Instrumentation for Building (2015)
Source: DPWH Guidelines and Implementing Rules on Earthquake Recording Instrumentation for Building (2015)
Airplane Black Box

STAND ALONE CAPABILITY

Source: DPWH Guidelines and Implementing Rules on Earthquake Recording Instrumentation for Building (2015)
 Comparison of
Seismograph and Accelerograph
Element Seismograph Accelerograph
Sensor Seismometer Accelerometer
Output Seismogram Accelerogram
Axis of Output Displacement vs Time Acceleration vs Time

Used for detecting very small Used for recording strong

levels of ground motion (from ground motion that is
Function
very small or very distant potentially damaging at the
events) recording location
THANK YOU!