Abstract
The paper presents an overview of topics in recent seismic designs in Japan and the United States. New trends in seismic designs are first discussed including limit state design, isolation of structures from seismic motion, performance-based design, displacement ductility design, capacity design, etc. Then, questions are raised by describing some typical structural damages in the Kobe Earthquake; namely, the collapse of old wooden houses that killed most people, the effect of axial force and shock motion that was significant, steel structures exhibited good ductility even when damaged severely, and the damages of railway bridges showed the importance of structural details in seismic design. Finally, special topics which lead to a hypothesis on the seismic wave records are discussed.
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