Overview

Earthquake disaster is increasingly of global concern as it threatens the world’s population, economy, and sustainable development. It is the responsibility of civil engineers to design and build earthquake-resistant structures, in order to minimize the earthquake risk. By reducing losses of lives and properties, socio-economical sustainability can be achieved. This unit provides the fundamental knowledge of the basic science of earthquakes and its effects on the natural and built environment. Basic theory of structural dynamics will be covered. Concepts and techniques of seismic analysis and design will be introduced.

Requisites

Prerequisites
CVE80019 Structural Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering

Rule

Enrolment in a postgraduate course
OR
ENG10003 Engineering Mechanics
AND
CVE20003 Design of Concrete Structures

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
29-July-2024
27-October-2024
Last self-enrolment date
11-August-2024
Census date
31-August-2024
Last withdraw without fail date
13-September-2024
Results released date
03-December-2024
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
04-August-2025
02-November-2025
Last self-enrolment date
17-August-2025
Census date
31-August-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
19-September-2025
Results released date
09-December-2025

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Quantify the nature of earthquake hazard and ground motions (K1,K2,K3,K4,S1,S2,S3)
  • Analyse earthquake-generated forces on structures and evaluate their dynamic response to earthquakes (K1,K2,K3,K4,S1,S2,S3)
  • Apply seismic analysis techniques including equivalent static method and response spectrum analysis (K1,K2,K3,K4,K5,S1,S2,S3)
  • Explain seismic design philosophy and principles (K1,K3,K4,K5,S1,S2,S3)
  • Use earthquake design codes for basic seismic analysis (K1,K2,K3,K4,K5,K6,S1,S2,S3)
  • Describe the framework of performance-based earthquake engineering (K1,K3,K4,K5,K6,S1,S2,S3)

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
On-campus
Class
2.00  12 weeks  24
Live Online
Lecture
2.00  12 weeks  24
Unspecified Activities
Independent Learning
8.50  12 weeks  102
TOTAL     150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
AssignmentIndividual/Group 80 - 90% 1,2,3,4,5,6 
Online QuizIndividual 10 - 20% 1,2,3,4,5,6 

Content

  • Basic seismology
  • Earthquake ground motion
  • Seismic hazard assessment
  • Local site (soil) effects
  • Dynamic response of single-degree-of-freedom systems
  • Earthquake response spectrum concept
  • Dynamic response of multi-degree-of-freedom systems
  • Seismic design codes
  • Seismic analysis methods
  • Seismic design principles
  • Vibration control techniques
  • Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Verbal communication
  • Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Communicating using different media
  • Graduate Attribute – Digital Literacies: Information literacy
  • Graduate Attribute – Digital Literacies: Technical literacy

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.