Earthquake forces acting on a structure consist of mass inertial forces that are caused by the excitement of their foundations during a telluric movement. The seismic design of buildings is mainly based on the analysis of translational inertial forces, whose effect on a structure is generally more noticeable than vertical or rotational components.
The structure is designed so that it supports the loads and does not suffer damages in light earthquakes, few repairable damages in earthquakes of medium magnitude, and although it is possible that they deteriorate during a strong earthquake, it must remain standing safeguarding the life of the occupants of the earthquake. building. In addition, it should be noted that the contribution of the earthquake in the loads can control the structural design.
Loads:
A structure can not be designed in a safe and economical way if the loads to which it is going to be subjected throughout its useful life are not known. Usually the loads are divided according to their direction, in two large groups: vertical and horizontal.
• Vertical loads
They are usually the most important, from the point of view of the function that the structure must provide, that is, to support the man, its effects and equipment and the very weight of the structure, which can be very important and sometimes greater than what you want to endure. Vertical loads can be permanent and temporary.
The permanent loads are those that act continuously on the building and whose magnitude can be considered invariable in time, as the loads due to the own weight of the structural and non-structural components: pavements, fillings, walls, partitions, friezes, fixed installations, etc.
Possible loads (live load or overload) are those that act on the building with a variable magnitude in time and that are due to their occupation and usual use, such as loads of people, objects, vehicles, lifts, machinery, mobile cranes , its impact effects.
• Horizontal loads
Horizontal loads are normally occasional loads that last a short time in the life of the structure and are due to nature (winds, earthquakes), although there are also some horizontal loads produced by man and / or his equipment (centrifugal force) ), or by changes made by him in the field (ground pressure).
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