International Journal of Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics [Book Review]

In recent years, earthquake engineering has increasingly assumed an identity as an important specialty within the wider framework of the science of seismology, on the one hand, and the engineering science of structural dynamics, on the other. The subject first appeared formally on the international scene as recently as 1956, with the First International Conference on Earthquake Engineering which resulted later on in the formation of the International Association for Earthquake Engineering. Since that time the 1AEE has organized very successful conferences in Japan (1960), New Zealand (1965), Chile (1969), and is now planning for the Fifth World Conference in Italy (1973). The new Journal, which serves also as an official journal for the IAEE, is under the general editorship of Professor Ray W. Clough and the associate editorship of Professor Geoffrey B. Warburton. The very extensive experience and wide backgrounds of these distinguished editors will ensure the highest professional standards for the new publication. Eight members of the 21-man Advisory Editorial Board are members of the Seismological Society of America, including IAEE President George W. Housner, who, along with Editor Clough, is also serving as a member of the S.S.A. Board of Directors. It is intended that the new Journal should deal broadly with all phases of earthquake engineering, "from the seismological and geological factors which influence the recurrence interval and dynamic characteristics of the ground motion to be expected at a given site, to the establishment of building codes and standards which will provide adequate and economically sound protection for the life and property of the public . . . . The scope of the Journal will include papers on techniques of structural dynamic analysis, regardless of their field of application." The contents of the initial issue indicate many of the basic themes: Housner and Jennings on" The San Fernando, California, Earthquake"; Muto on "Dynamic Response of the KII Building to the San Fernando Earthquake"; Warburton and Higgs on "Vibration of Cylindrical Shells with Clamped Ends"; Penzien and Kaul on "Response of Offshore Towers to Strong Motion Earthquake"; Iyengar and Shinozuka on "Effects of Self-Weight and Vertical Acceleration on the Behavior of Tall Structures During Earthquakes"; Hisada, Ohmcri, and Bessho on "Earthquake-Design Considerations in Reinforced Concrete Columns"; and Johns, Britton, and Stoppard on" Increasing the Structural Damping of a Steel Chimney." Many readers of the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America are certain to find much material of interest in the new Journal, and the SSA Editorial Committee is happy to welcome this new publication with best wishes for a long and distinguished career

The Prince William Sound, Alaska, earthquake of 1964 and aftershocks [Book Review]

This second part of the comprehensive report on the Alaskan earthquake being issued by the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey was prepared by practicing engineers for the structural engineering profession. The papers have been assembled by Karl V. Steinbrugge, who has contributed an introduction giving a concise summary of background information on the earthquake engineering aspects of the earthquake

Borrego Mountain Earthquake of April 8, 1968 [Book Review]

This earthquake is of special importance for both geologists and engineers because of the unusually large and complex nature of the tectonic surface ruptures, and because of the possibility that ground shaking associated with this relatively small earthquake might have triggered small motions on distant faults. This paper by two U. S. Geological Survey investigators summarizes the effects of the earthquake on terrain and structures, with special emphasis on slope failures, shattered desert crusts, and seismic compaction

Dynamic Waves in Civil Engineering [Book Review]

These proceedings of a conference organized by the Society for Earthquake and Civil Engineering Dynamics, which is the British National Section of the International Association for Earthquake Engineering, bring together 19 papers from England, 6 from the United States, 3 from the USSR, and single contributions from Australia, South Africa, and India. About half of the papers are of direct interest to earthquake engineers; of the others, 6 involve mainly ocean waves and their effects on coastal structures, 5 treat of soil and structural dynamics problems of general interest, 2 are concerned with design for wind loads, and the remaining involve background material of a theoretical or mathematical nature, including an introductory paper on the historical background of the applied mathematics of waves by M. J. Lighthill

Some problems in the application of spectrum techniques to strong-motion earthquake analysis

A comparison of analog and digital computation of strong-motion earthquake response spectra is made, and it is shown that the preference as to method will depend mainly on availability of computing equipment. The accuracy of analog response spectrum computations is shown to be compatible with the limitations of the original ground acceleration data. The accuracy of the customary approximate relationship between the displacement response spectrum and the velocity response spectrum is investigated, and the validity of the simplifications are shown for typical strong-motion earthquake applications. The relationship between the response spectrum and the Fourier spectrum is developed, and a comparison as to suitability for earth-quake engineering problems is given

The measurement of ground motion of destructive earthquakes

The need for a greatly expanded network of strong-motion accelerographs throughout the seismic regions of the world is stressed. A summary of the characteristics of currently available strong-motion accelerographs is presented, and the design details are given for an instrument suitable for acquiring the basic data needed by structural engineers for earthquake resistant design. It is shown that for such an instrument, the natural period must be less than 0.1 seconds, and that the recording speed must be at least 1 cm/sec. The critical nature of the inertia starting device is discussed, and some information is given on the transient response of the standard pendulum starter used in the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey Strong-Motion Accelerograph. The use of simpler, non-time-recording instruments such as the U.S.C.G.S. Seismoscope to supplement the accelerograph network is described

Bridging k- and q- Space in the Cuprates: Comparing ARPES and STM Results

A critical comparison is made between the ARPES-derived spectral function and STM studies of Friedel-like oscillations in Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_{8+delta} (Bi2212). The data can be made approximately consistent, provided that (a) the elastic scattering seen in ARPES is predominantly small-angle scattering and (b) the `peak' feature seen in ARPES is really a dispersive `bright spot', smeared into a line by limited energy resolution; these are the `bright spots' which control the quasiparticle interferences. However, there is no indication of bilayer splitting in the STM data.Comment: 6 eps figures, revte

Preliminary results of the University of California X-ray experiment on the OSO-3

Cosmic and solar X ray data obtained by Orbiting Solar Observatory /OSO-3

The San Fernando earthquake and public school safety

The San Fernando earthquake was an unusually valuable test of school safety because: (1) there were several hundred schools having structures of all types in the heavily shaken area, including 10 schools within 5 miles of the epicenter; (2) the severity of ground motion is believed to have been near the maximum to be expected for an earthquake of any size—a number of campuses were subjected to major ground cracking and deformation; (3) since there were many instruments in the area, the details of the earthquake ground motion are better known than for any other earthquake. On some campuses, pre-Field Act buildings, renovated pre-Field Act buildings, and new buildings existed side by side, and direct comparisons show the efficacy of the Field Act and the associated plan check and field inspection procedures in reducing the earthquake hazard to an acceptably low level. No structural failures, that would have been likely to cause serious injury or death if the buildings had been normally occupied at the time of the earthquake, occurred in any buildings built to current standards. There were, however, some failures of nonstructural elements that could have resulted in a hazardous situation and demonstrate the need for upgrading requirements in this area of building construction

A reply to “Comments on ‘The San Fernando Earthquake and Public School Safety’” by Donald A. Rodgers

Mr. Rodgers has properly drawn attention to the fact that ideas for limiting conditions of earthquake ground motion must inevitably involve some speculation. For purposes of the present study, however, the evidence from several lines of approach is so consistent that the practical conclusions are clear, and we welcome the opportunity to again emphasize them