NEHRP Handbook of Techniques For The Seismic Rehabilitation of Existing Buildings
NEHRP Handbook of Techniques For The Seismic Rehabilitation of Existing Buildings
The Building Seismic Safety Council is sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management
Agency for the publication on seismic strengthening of existing buildings. The BSSC was
established in 1979 under National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) to deal with the
complex regulatory, technical, social, and economic issues involved in developing and
promulgating building earthquake hazard mitigation regulatory provisions that are national in
scope
According to the Building Seismic Safety Council (BSSC) its purpose are the following:
Promotes the development of seismic safety provisions suitable for use throughout
the United States;
Recommends, encourages, and promotes the adoption of appropriate seismic
safety provisions in voluntary standards and model codes;
Assesses progress in the implementation of such provisions by federal, state, and
local regulatory and construction agencies;
Identifies opportunities for improving seismic safety regulations and practices and
encourages public and private organizations to effect such improvements;
Promotes the development of training and educational courses and materials for
use by design professionals, builders, building regulatory officials, elected officials,
industry representatives, other members of the building community, and the public;
Advises government bodies on their programs of research, development, and
implementation; and
Periodically reviews and evaluates research findings, practices, and experience
and makes recommendations for incorporation into seismic design practices.
The most direct rehabilitation technique for excessive shear stresses at a re-entrant
corner is to provide drag struts to distribute the local concentrated forces into the
diaphragm
strengthening the diaphragm with overlays and reducing the loads on the diaphragm
by providing additional vertical-resisting elements.
Improving deficient conditions caused by diaphragm discontinuities (such as may be
present in split level framing) can be accomplished by providing an adequate load
path for the lateral forces.
2. Increasing the vertical capacity of the footing by adding new drilled piers adjacent and
connected to the existing footing (Figure 3.6.1.2b).
3. Increasing the soil bearing capacity by modifying the existing soil properties.
4. Reducing the overturning forces by providing supplemental vertical-resisting elements
(i.e., shear walls or braced frames).