Question

The triangular section shown exactly satisfies the Middle Third Rule, reservoir empty.What apparent earthquake intensity factor was used in the design? 0.75h О. 12h

Answer 1

Intensity is more useful than magnitude as in it helps to characterize the destructive potential of an earthquake at a specific location. While the intensity value is not directly used in engineering design of buildings, it is related with the peak ground acceleration as it helps in determining the amount of force the building receives during an earthquake.

For a triangular section that follows middle third rule with reservoir empty, the intensity factor will be 6 that might cause minimal movement for the structure for an earth quake of highest magnitude. The damage incurred would be minimum with a peak ground acceleration value of 0.05 - 0.1.