Fiftieth Anniversary of

Mexican Society of Earthquake Engineering, June 2012

Seismic Design Regulations of Japan

- Past, Present and Future -
Congratulation on the fiftieth anniversary of the
foundation of the Mexican Society of Earthquake
Engineering!

The Mexican Society has a long tradition of glorious

research production in earthquake engineering.

Shunsuke Otani
Professor Emeritus, University of Tokyo
 History of Mexico-Japan Relation

In September 1609, the San Francisco, a galleon of 1000

tons, was wrecked by typhoon off Chiba Coast on the way
from the Philippines to Nueva Espaa.

The ship carried Acting Governor General Rodrigo de Vivero

of the Philippines and his crews. Most passengers were
rescued by the people of Onjuku.

After ten months stay in Japan, they returned to Acapulco on

the San Buenaventura.
 History of Mexico-Japan Relation
A mission of the load of Sendai to the Vatican departed
Sendai, on the San Juan Bautista, in 1613, and landed on
Acapulco and walked to Veracruz, possibly through this town
of Puebla.

The mission crossed the Atlantic to reach Spain, where they

met with Felipe III of Espaa. They were presented in Rome
with Pope Paul V on November 3, 1615.

The mission sailed from Acapulco to Manila, the Philippines,

in 1619 and returned to Sendai in 1620.
Past Seismic Design Regulations
in Japan
 The 1919 Urban Building Law
Urban Building Law, first Japanese building code, to
regulate building construction in six major cities in
Japan.
Height limit: 100 feet
Structural design for timber, masonry, brick,
reinforced concrete and steel constructions.

Structural design specifications

Allowable stresses of materials
Quality of materials for construction
Dead and live loads
No seismic requirements
 1923 Kanto, Tokyo, Earthquake (M7.8)

105 thousands were killed, mostly by fire after the earthquake.

Naigai Building under construction
Maximum acceleration was estimated to be 0.15 to 0.3 G
from displacement signals at the University of Tokyo.
Seismograph records of the
1923 Kanto earthquake.
d d o sin t
a d o sin t
2
 Urban Building Law (1924-1950)

F kW
Allowable Stress Design

Material
Strength

Allowable
Stress
Strain
kG
Maximum ground acceleration
was 0.3G at University of Design seismic acc. = 0.1 G
Japan after the World War II, 1945

Osaka
Reconstruction of the country from devastation
(1) Quality of buildings
Safety, sanitary, health, comfort and usage
(2) Protection of built properties
Construction contracts
Quality of construction
(3) Conformance of legal requirements
Use of land
Enforcement of code
(4) Qualification of design engineers
Qualified architects
(5) Respect for human rights
Right of construction
Right of property
 Needs of orderly and efficient
reconstruction of the country
(1) Building Standard Law (1950)
To safeguard the life, health, and property of people by
providing minimum standards concerning the site,
structure, equipment, and use of buildings.

(2) Architect License Law (1950)

To define the qualification of engineers who can
design buildings and supervise construction work.

(3) Construction Trade Law (1949)

To improve the quality of those engaged in
construction trade and to promote fair construction
contracts.
Fi Z G K Wi

Building Standard Law (1950-1981)

Seismic Design Force at each floor level
Fi = Z G K W i
Z: Seismic zone factor (=0.8-1.0)
G: Soil-structure factor (=0.6-1.0)
K: Seismic coefficient (=0.2)
Wi: Floor weight
Allowable Stress of Materials (Seismic Loading)
Steel: nominal yield stress
Concrete: (2/3) nominal compressive strength for
compression
Allowable stresses for seismic loading was doubled from the
previous values; therefore, seismic coefficient was doubled.
 Seismic Zone
Factor
Z=1.0
Z=0.9
Z=0.8

Ministry of Construction
Notification No. 1074,
1952
The 1968, Tokachi-oki Earthquake (M7.9)
Strength design was not sufficient in seismic
events.

Hakodate Technical University

The AIJ RC Standard (1949)

If design shear stress of concrete exceeded f c/15,

entire design shear stress had to be carried by shear
reinforcement.

V f 'c

b j d 15

It was generally recommended that member dimensions

should be selected large enough for concrete to carry most
of design shear stress and that minimum amount of lateral
reinforcement should be placed to ease concrete work.
 Building Standard Law (1971-1981)
Narrow spacing of column ties
Present Seismic Design Regulations
in Japan
 Building Standard Law (1981)
The Ministry of Construction organized an integrated
technical development project, entitled Development
of New Earthquake Resistant Design (1972-1977).
Applied Technology Council: Tentative Provisions
for the Development of Seismic Regulations for
Buildings (ATC-03), US, (1972-76).

The Building Standard Law was revised in July 1980,

and executed from June 1981.
New Zealand Standards Association: Code of
Practice for the Design of Concrete Structures
NZS 3101, 1982 (The Capacity Design Concept).
 New Seismic Design (1981 to date)

Design earthquake forces specified

(a) by story shear rather than horizontal floor forces,
(b) in terms of fundamental period of the structure,
(c) two levels for serviceability and safety.

Pn

Pn-1
Qi = Z Rt Ai Wi C0
Z: Seismic zone factor
Rt: Spectral shape
Pi
Ai: Story shear distribution
Wi: Floor weights above
Qi
Co: Standard base shear coeff.
 Seismic Zone Z=0.8
Factor
Z=1.0
Z=1.0
Z=0.9
Z=0.8 Z=0.9

Z=0.9
Z=1.0
Z=0.8

Z=0.9

Ministry of Construction
Notification No. 1918, Z=0.7
November 1987 Qi = Z Rt Ai Wi C0
 Spectral Shape with Soil Condition
Qi = Z Rt Ai Wi C0

Rt Factor

Flexible Soil
Standard Soil
Stiff Soil

Period, sec
Story Shear Distribution
Qi = Z Rt Ai Wi C0

1 3T
Ai 1.0 ( i )
i 1 2T
n n
i W j / W j
j i j 1

T: Period, sec
Serviceability state:
Allowable stress design of section to limit the damage.
Story drift limit of 1/200.

Qi = Z Rt Ai Wi C0
Co=0.20 PGA=0.08 G

Life safety state:

Ultimate strength design of members
Resistance at the formation of mechanism
Design force associated with ductility capacity of hinges.

Qud = Z Rt Ai Wi Co for elastic response

Co=1.0 PGA=0.3-0.4 G
Reduction of Elastic Response by
Ductility of Hinging Members

Qud = Z Rt Ai Wi Co

Ds=0.3-0.55 (RC)
Examination of story shear resistance at the formation
of a collapse mechanism (Life Safety).

Story Shear

Formation of Collapse
Mechanism
Qu
Required
Resistance

Story Displacement
Collapse Mechanism
 Higher Resistance for Torsion

Large Force Large

Deformation

Center of
Rigidity

Center of Mass

Stiff Wall
Flexible Columns
Irregularity in Structural Plan (Eccentricity)
Higher Resistance for Vertical Irregularity

Soft first-story structure

Walls

The 1971 San

Fernando
Earthquake

Columns Soft First Story

 Protection of Non-structural Members

Story drift angle (inter-story

displacement/story height)
under serviceability design
earthquake forces shall be less
than 1/200 for the protection of
architectural elements.

2005Fukuoka-ken Seibu Eq.

ASCE Magazine
Izumiya Residence Building, 1995
 Damage Statistics of Reinforced Concrete Buildings
The 1995 Kobe Earthquake Disaster
2000 Damage
Light
1600 Minor
N u m b e r o f B u ild in g s

Medium
Major

New Seismic
1200
Unknown

Design
800 Hoops
Column

400

0
Before 1971 1972 - 1981 After 1982
Construction Year
Weak-Beam Strong-Column Design Good?
 Promotion of Seismic Retrofit of
Pre-1981 Existing Buildings (1995 to date)

1. The owner of pre-1981 existing public and

private buildings for use by a number of people
must make efforts to perform the seismic
vulnerability assessment of the structure, and

2. The owner must make efforts to strengthen the

structure if needed.
 Building Standard Law (1998)

Background
Performance-based Design Requirements
- Foreign demand to open construction markets
- Fire-resistance and fire-prevention requirements

Specification requirements

Performance requirements
 Seismic Performance Criteria

Buildings shall be serviceable under rare earthquakes

(once in 50-year events).
Protection of properties.
Allowable stress design.

Buildings shall be safe under extraordinary rare

earthquakes (once in 500-year event).
Protection of occupants life.
Collapse prevention using ultimate strength
design and ductility.

Demand spectrum-Capacity spectrum Design

as an alternative design method-1 (1998).
 Definition of Earthquake Ground Motion

Acceleration spectrum at engineering bed rock

S B (T ) Z S0 (T )
Acceleration spectrum at free surface
S A (T ) Gs (T ) S B (T )

Ground Surface S A (T )

Amplification by soil Gs (T )

Engineering Bedrock Z So (T )
Spectra at Engineering Bedrock

Life safety limit

Damage initiation limit

 Modeling of Soil
Free ground surface Free ground surface
m1
1 , G1 , V1 , h1 d1 K1,c1
m2
2 , G2 , V2 , h2 d2 K2,c2
m3
e ,Vse , he
K3,c3 d
3 , G3 , V3 , h3 d3

m4 Equivalent
K4,c4 single soil
d4
4 , G4 , V4 , h4 layer

mb
4 , V4 , h4 Kb,cb
Engineering Engineering bedrock
b , Vb , hb
bedrock
 Capacity and Demand Spectra Method
(1998 to date)

Demand Spectrum: Design response acceleration

and displacement spectra.

Capacity Spectrum: Resistance-deformation

relation of a nonlinear system under monotonically
increasing lateral load, expressed in acceleration-
displacement response spectra.
 Demand Spectrum

Displacement Spectrum
S D (T , h) T
Acceleration Spectrum
Spectral Acceleration, Sa

Damping Factor h S A (T , h) T

2
2
Sa Sd
T
2 2
( )
2

Te
Spectral Displacement, Sd
 Assumption 1: Linear response approximated by
the fundamental mode response

{d }1max 1 S D (T1 , h1 ){}1 R1 1.0

S D (T1 , h1 ) First-mode response displacement

{} [m]{e}
T
1 1
Participation factor
{} [m]{}1
1
T

Maximum displacement at top {}1

DR1max 1 S D (T1 , h1 )
Earthquake that causes the displacement
DR1max First mode shape
S D (T1 , h1 )
1
 Maximum Base Shear
Maximum base shear under a given earthquake motion

VB1max M 1* S A (T1 , h1 )

M 1* 1{} [m]{e}
T
1 Effective mass

S A (T , h) Acceleration spectrum

Acceleration response spectral value that causes

base shear of VB1max
VB1max
S A (T , h)
M1 *
Acceleration and displacement response spectrum to
cause maximum base shear VB1max and maximum roof
level displacement DR1max

Base Shear VB
SA(T,h) Max.
VB1max Response
S A (T , h)
M 1*
DR1max
S D (T , h) Roof Displ. DR
1 SD(T,h)

The intensity of an earthquake that causes maximum

base shear and roof displacement is expressed as
SA and SD.
 Nonlinear Earthquake Response
Assumption 2: Maximum nonlinear response is
approximated by the maximum response of an equivalent
linear system having secant stiffness and damping ratio at
the maximum response point.

Nonlinear response
Base shear, VB
Maximum response point
lies on pushover curve.

Response

Pushover analysis
S A (T , h)

Roof displacement DR
Response
VB1
S A (T , h) *
M1
2 2
DR1 ( )
S D (T , h) Te
1 S D (T , h)
 Capacity Spectrum of Structure

Spectral values causing structural response

Collapse Limit
VB S A (T )
S A (T )
M1 *
Response point
DR
S D (T )
1 Damage Initiation
2 2 S D (T )
( )
Te
 Seismic Design for Limit States
Damage-initiation limit state
Allowable stresses of materials
Story drift less than 1/200

Life-safety limit state

Design gravity loads not sustained.
Ultimate deformation capacity is
reached in structural members
 Judgment of Performance

SA Life Safety

Damage heq(Life Safety)

Initiation

heq(No Damage)=0.05 SD
 Response History Analysis (2000 to date)
(Alternative Design Method-2)

Structural members shall be examined to be non-

damaged under rare ground motions using the
equation of motion (Serviceability).

The structure shall be examined to be non-collapse

under extraordinarily rare ground motions using the
equation of motion (Life Safety).

The method is used in the structural design of high-

rise and seismic-isolation buildings.
 Design Earthquake Ground Motion

Design acceleration spectra

defined at (open) engineering
bedrock for serviceability and
life safety limit states. Ground
Surface

Engineering bedrock: a thick soil

layer having shear wave velocity
higher than 400 m/sec. Engineering Bedrock
Acceleration Spectrum at Engineering Bedrock
10.00
Response Acceleration, m/sec2

8.00

6.00

Life Safety Level

4.00

2.00
Serviceability Level
0.00
0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0
Period, sec
Design Spectrum
Spectrum Compatible Earthquake Motions
n
y&(t ) e(t ) Ai cos( it i )
&
i 1

e(t ) : Envelope function i : Random number

 Generation of Ground Motion
considering Fault Fracture Process
Site

Engineering bedrock

a th
t io nP
ag a
Fault p
Pro
Nw

Kobayashi, H. and S. Midorikawa (1982)

j=1
Fracture Element ij Irikura, K. (1983)
propagation
NL
i=1
Calculation of Input Motion for Building
Free ground surface
m1
1 , G1 , V1 , h1 d1 K1,c1
m2
2 , G2 , V2 , h2 d2 K2,c2
m3

3 , G3 , V3 , h3 d3 K3,c3

m4

K4,c4
d4
4 , G4 , V4 , h4
mb
4 , V4 , h4 Kb,cb
Engineering
b , Vb , hb
bedrock
 Damage Control under Serviceability EQ

No structural damage from frequent earthquakes

Allowable stress design
Concrete fa=(2/3) fc
Reinforcement fs=fy

Protection of nonstructural elements

Maximum story drift less than 1/200
 Structural Safety under Life Safety EQ
Member deformation
Rotational ductility less than 4.0 for beams
Rotational ductility less than 2.0 for columns
Limitation of axial force level
3 2
Ag y N column Ac B
4 3
No brittle failure (shear, bond, anchorage)

Story drift less than 1/100

Protection of structural elements
 Additional Studies

In calculating response to ground motions,

Effect of vertical ground motions,
Effect of orthogonal ground motions,
Effect of phase difference of ground motions,
Effect of vertical load through horizontal sway.
{x& y&}T ([m]{&
x& &} {D( x&)} {R( x)})dt 0
y&

Design on Energy Balance (2005 to date)

(Alternative Design Method-3)
Equation of Motion x y

d 2 ( x y) dx
[m]{ 2
} [c]{ } {Q( x)} {0}
dt dt

Work done by forces

x& &
{x&}T ([m]{& } {D( x&)} {Q( x)}) dt {0}
y&

{x&} ([m]{&} {D( x&)} {Q( x)})dt

x&
T

&
y&
{x&} [ m]{e}&
&
ydt T
For the entire duration of earthquake motion
td
{x} ([m]{&
& } {D( x&)} {Q( x)})dt
x&
T
0
td
{x&}T [m]{e}&
&
ydt
0

Damping
Kinetic energy Strain energy
energy
=0.0 @ t=td dissipation
dissipation
td td td
{x} [m]{x}dt {x} {D( x)}dt {x} {Q( x)}dt
& &
& & & &
T T T
0 0 0
td
{x} [m]{e}&
& T
y&dt
0

EQ input
energy EEQ
Earthquake Input Energy Spectrum

2 E EQ
VE
M
 Design on Energy Balance
EQ input energy EQ input energy

Balanced story energy dissipation Concentrated energy dissipation

Elastic strain energy
Dissipated plastic strain energy
The input energy of an earthquake motion depends
on the total mass and fundamental period of a
structure, but not much affected by damping and
non-linear characteristics of a structure.

The total earthquake input energy is distributed in

a structure in accordance with stiffness, resistance
and mass of each story. The input energy tends to
concentrate in the weak and flexible story.

Energy dissipating capacity must be larger than

input energy at each story.

The method is used in the structural design of

medium-rise and vibration-controlled buildings.
 Future of Design Regulations?

Uncertainties in earthquake input

More use of nonlinear analysis by computer programs
Role of structural engineers
Engineering judgments by engineers
Protection of existing buildings
Seismic Technology for Protection of Society
Before earthquakes
(1) Development of advanced seismic design codes,
(2) Vulnerability assessment of existing buildings,
(3) Retrofit technology of vulnerable construction,
After an earthquake
(4) Evaluation of damage of affected construction, and
(5) Repair and strengthening of damaged
construction.
Plate Tectonics
around Japan

Large earthquakes
at plate boundaries

Trench
North
occur at regular American
intervals, such as Plate

Sea
the 2011 East
Japan Earthquake.

Japan
Eurasian Plate
Tokyo
Nagoya
Osaka
Large intra-plate
earthquakes occur Pacific Plate
at very irregular
intervals, such as rou gh
the 1995 Kobe nkai T
Na
Earthquake.
Philippine Sea Plate
Design seismic
intensity?

The headquarters for

earthquake research
promotion prepares
maps for earthquakes
of different JMA
seismic intensities in
coming 30 years.

20120520
Tokyo and suburb
Basin Effect
Deep alluvial plains
A few thousand
m deep
Seismic Seismic
bedrock input

Reflection of seismic wave

Tokyo
Long-duration
long-period
ground motion

Safety of long-
period structures?
Thank you for your patience!

Shunsuke Otani
 Building Code System in Japan
Legal Documents
- Building Standard Law
- Cabinet Order
- Ministry Notifications
- Municipal Government Ordinances

Non-legal References: Publication from Academic

Organizations

- AIJ Standards, Guidelines, Specifications

- JCI Guidelines, Specifications, Manuals
Soft Soil

Stiff Soil
 Soft soil

Stiff soil