Valuable lessons can be learned and possibly applied to modify U.S. seismic design codes and practices from the behavior of structures during the magnitude-8.8 earthquake that rocked Chile on Feb. 27, said the leader of a team representing the Structural Engineering Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers, which visited Chile from April 5-12. In April, ASCE also sent assessment teams from its Coasts, Oceans, Ports and Rivers Institute (COPRI) and its Technical Council on Lifeline Earthquake Engineering (TCLEE).
More study of the details of the failure modes of reinforced concrete shear-wall buildings may be warranted as well as the study of the details of structural and non-structural drift on overall performance, said John D. Hooper, director of earthquake engineering for Magnusson Klemencic Associates, Seattle, and the leader of SEI’s team of 16 engineers. Engineers hope to study overturning in “T” walls in lower levels and confinement of thin walls, he said.