Seismic Source Type...

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dakota_79

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...what is it? Or more specifically, how does it affect design? I understand it has to do with how active and severe a nearby fault is, but don't see where or whether it affects the process of calc-ing design parameters and forces. Isn't this already taken into account in the probabilities associated with the MCE accelerations?

Ref. SEAOC V3 design examples (ie: EBF example parameters, pg 86)

 
dakota,

The seismic source type was a way for older codes to generate MCE values. This was used in the 2001 California Building Codes (UBC 97) and older codes.

With that said, the seismic maps found in ASCE 7-05 already have these factors included within them. This value has no real use for solving the problem. It might be just a leftover from the previous versions of the SEAOC books.

I hope this helps.

 
Thanks kevo. I thought it was a UBC 97 requirement as a carryover. You've confirmed my suspicions (sp?).

 
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