EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING A N D STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS, VOL.
4, 101-107 (1975)
SHORT COMMUNICATIONS
BOOK REVIEWS
FUNDAMENTALS OF EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING, Nathan
M. Newmark and Emilio Rosenblueth, Prentice-Hall,
Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 1971, 640 pages, $28.50.
The authors of this book, Professors Nathan M.
Newmark and Emilio Rosenblueth, have had a profound
influence on the development of earthquake engineering.
This book presenting their views of the subject is most
valuable.
The title is modest but not the coverage of the book.
Contrary to the implications of the title, it is by no
means limited to the fundamentals of the subject. The
book presents the most comprehensive treatment, to
date, of the broad field of earthquake engineering. Even
an established researcher in the field will find a wealth
of information. He will find newer insights and fine
points even in the areas of his own specialty, and a
comprehensive statement of those areas with which he
is less familiar. He will find an imposing list of some 600
references, and will be impressed at how well they are
integrated into the text.
The authors in the Introduction write:
‘In this text on earthquake engineering we take for
granted that the purpose of design in engineering is
optimization, and that we deal with random variables.
I n the past the orthodox viewpoint maintained that
the objective of design was to prevent failure; it
idealized variables as deterministic. This simple
approach is stilI fruitful when applied to design under
only mild uncertainty, and in situations in which the
possibility of failure may be contemplated at such a
distant future as to be almost irrelevant; but when
confronted with the effects of earthquakes, this ortho-
dox viewpoint seems so naive as to be sterile. In
dealing with earthquakes, we must contend with
appreciable probabilities that failure will occur in the
near future.’
This statement suggests the tenor of the presentation.
Wherever relevant, the subject is presented in a
probabilistic framework.
This book is intended both as a reference work and as
a graduate textbook.
The broad coverage and exhaustive list of references
makes it excellent in fulfilling the first purpose. However,
because of its terse and sophisticated manner of
presentation it probably is not suitable as an elementary
textbook, but only for rather advanced graduate
students. Although the background assumed of the
reader is stated as only ‘a normal undergraduate
baggage of mechanics, applied mathematics and
structural engineering’, it is likely that many students
Q 1975 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
101
will need supplementary preparation for Parts I1 and
111 of the book. Specifically it must be noted that
probability theory still is not a standard part of the
undergraduate curriculum in Civil Engineering at many
universities.
The book is divided into three parts, each including
roughly one-third of the book: Part I, Dynamics; Part
11, Earthquake Motions and Structural Responses; and
Part 111, Design.
Part I of the book starts with dynamics of linear
systems. Single degree-of-freedom systems are discussed
in Chapter 1, and lumped mass multi degree-of-
freedom systems in Chapter 2. The usual topics-free
oscillations, response to harmonic excitations, response
to arbitrary transient excitation and its numerical
evaluation, etc.-are developed. This compact presenta-
tion of dynamics of structures is excellent, but a reader
studying this subject for the first time probably would
benefit by supplementary reading in other texts, which
treat the subject at a more leisurely pace.
A novel feature included is the method of analysis
of structural response to ground motion excitation with
the base of the structure having several degrees-of-
freedom. The students and faculty at Berkeley were
first exposed to this treatment in the autumn of 1964
when Professor Rosenblueth presented a graduate
course here. Since then this method of analysis has been
used in several publications, and it has been included in
our graduate courses on dynamics of structures. It is
good to have this opportunity to give credit to the
original source.
Chapter 3 is concerned with dynamics of distributed
mass systems. The one-dimensional systems included
are shear beams and flexural beams. Selected topics
in wave theory-body waves, surface waves, wave
reflection and refraction-are presented in brief. The
chapter ends with a general discussion of the soil-struc-
ture interaction problem, with emphasis on dynamic
response of plates resting on an elastic halfspace.
Discretization of distributed parameter systems is
discussed in Chapter 4. Only brief reference is made to
the finite element method. The reader should study the
quoted references and text books which have appeared
in recent years to become familiar with the most
extensively used method of discretization. Iterative
methods, a generalization of Holzer’s method and
energy methods for the numerical computation of
frequencies and modes of vibration are presented.
However, the reader interested in computer analysis of
systems with large numbers of degrees-of-freedom should
102 SHORT COMMUNICATIONS
refer to numerical methods especially developed for such
purpose, which have appeared in the last few years.
The brief Chapter 5 is concerned with dynamic
analysis of non-linear systems. The phase plane method
to evaluate graphically the response of single degree-of-
freedom systems, and a general numerical method
applicable to systems with several degrees-of-freedom
are presented.
The hydrodynamic problems of most interest in
earthquake engineering are the subject of Chapter 6. A
major part of this chapter is devoted to hydrodynamic
pressures against dams, assumed to be rigid. Two-
dimensional analyses, often applicable to gravity and
buttress dams, receive most of the attention. Available
results for hydrodynamic pressures on arch dams,
dynamics of liquids in rigid tanks, added mass contri-
buted by the water in vibration of submerged cylindrical
towers are summarized. This chapter concludes with a
general survey of the literature on tsunamis.
Part I1 of the book begins in Chapter 7 with a
presentation of the characteristics of earthquakes.
Earthquake ground motions, depending on their
characteristics, are classified into four groups. Correla-
tion of ground motion parameters-acceleration,
velocity and displacement-with magnitude and focal
distance is discussed and empirical relations are
presented. The section concerned with correlation
between the intensities of the two horizontal compo-
nents of ground motion, and the one on rotational
components of ground motion are especially interesting.
A description of local and regional seismicity is
discussed in Chapter 8, in a probabilistic framework.
The central feature of the treatment is the use of
Bayesian statistics.
Chapter 9 deals with the probability distribution of
response spectral ordinates. Idealizing earthquake
ground motions as segments of white noise, results for
the probability distribution of structural responses are
presented. For a stationary Gaussian process idealiza-
tion of ground motion, expected response spectra are
determined. Much of this material is summarized from
the authors' own research, and some readers may find
it necessary to go back to the quoted references for
additional detail. A method for determining the
expected response spectra for motions at the surface of
layered soil media, treating the incident motion at rock
level as a stochastic process, is included. Application of
the method to the Valley of Mexico leads to mean
spectra which agree reasonably well with those com-
puted from recorded surface motions. A section in
Chapter 9 deals with computer simulation of ground
motions.
Estimating maximum response as the square root of
the sum of the squares of the modal values, now taken
for granted, was originally proposed by Rosenblueth
in his Ph.D. dissertation (1951). Its derivation and
limitations are presented in Chapter 10. Also included
is a more general result, an improvement which is
important under certain conditions, in particular, when
two of the natural frequencies of the structure are close.
The theory is applied to the response of uniform shear
beams. The determination of responses to the simul-
taneous action of several components of ground motion,
from the values associated with individual components,
is also included.
Chapter 1 1 deals with earthquake response of non-
linear systems. Most of it is devoted to single degree-of-
freedom systems. A general approximate method of
analysis is presented in which the response of a non-
linear system is determined as the weighted average
response of a series of equivalent linear systems, or
more simply as the response of an equivalent linear
system. Also included are approximate upper bounds for
response of non-linear systems in terms of response
spectra for linear systems. The adequacy of this upper
bound and that of the approximate method in predic-
tion of response of non-linear elastic systems is
examined. Using the approximate method and the
theory of Chapter 9, response spectra for elastoplastic
systems are computed; fair agreement with actual
spectra is demonstrated. Similar applications to rigid-
plastic systems, Masing-type systems with Ramberg-
Osgood skeleton curves, stiffness-degrading systems and
X-braced systems are discussed briefly. A brief
summary of studies of non-linear response of multi-
storey buildings, and the idealization of a rock-fill dam
as a rigid-plastic system with distributed parameters
occupy the last two sections.
Most of Chapter 12 deals with hydrodynamic
pressures on dams. Using the principles of hydro-
dynamics set forth in Chapter 6, introducing the
characteristics of ground motions as described in
Chapter 7, and adapting the theory of multi degree-of-
freedom systems developed in Chapter 10, results are
derived for hydrodynamic pressures on dams due to
horizontal as well as vertical components of ground
motion. The treatment of hydrodynamic response
problems associated with submerged structures and
tanks is briefly discussed.
An excellent survey of behaviour of materials,
structural components and complete structure under
earthquake loading is presented in Chapter 13. Effects
of rate of loading on mechanical properties of structural
steel, concrete, timber, clays, sands and other materials
are summarized. The behaviour of structural compo-
nents of reinforced concrete as well as of steel: flexural
members, beamxolumn joints, frames and continuous
beams; timber diaphragms, reinforced concrete shear
walls, unconfined as well as frame-enclosed plane
masonry panels is discussed. A section is devoted to
behaviour of complete structures, as determined from
forced vibration tests at small amplitudes of motion on
prototype structures, and at damaging amplitudes
on large models; also included is a brief discussion of
static tests of complete structures with monotonically
increasing deformations up to collapse. The last part
of the chapter deals with the behaviour of cohesionless
soils under various degrees of saturation; behaviour of
saturated cohesive soils and liquefaction of sensitive
clays is also discussed.
Chapter 14 opens Part I11 with a discussion of basic
concepts in earthquake resistant design. Because of the
 SHORT COMMUNICATIONS
enormous spread o r uncertainty in the earthquake
excitation and the ignorance about actual structural
capacity, the authors advise that earthquake resistant
design should be based on the theory of probability and
optimization techniques. The concepts of optimization,
load factors and factors of safety are discussed in a
probabilistic framework. Starting with studies of
regional seismicity and using the theories of Chapter 9,
construction of expected response spectra for different
return periods, and their use in optimal design is
discussed.
Chapter 15 covers the earthquake-resistant design of
buildings. It includes a most comprehensive and critical
evaluation of the provisions in existing building codes-
mainly the Uniform Building Code of the United States
and the codes of Mexico. The limitations of the code
provisions are identified and ingenious arguments are
put forth to justify the provisions. Also included are
concepts useful in limiting damage to non-structural
elements such as partitions, window panes, piping, etc.
and to protect against pounding between adjoining
structures. That the choice of a structural solution
expressed in terms of materials and framing system-
whether moment-resisting frame, braced frame or shear
walls-depends markedly on the intensity of design
ground motions is conveyed very effectively through
examples. Problems associated with the earthquake
performance of a number of common structural systems
are discussed.
Chapter 16 deals with special topics and problems
associated with earthquake-resistant design of other
structures : inverted pendulums, towers and stacks,
bridges, retaining structures, tunnels and pipes, tanks
and dams. Unfortunately nuclear reactor structures, for
some reason, are not included. The challenging problem
of strengthening structures damaged by earthquake is
also discussed.
Instruments of interest in earthquake engineering,
including accelerographs and seismoscopes, are de-
scribed in Chapter 17. Determination of structural
characteristics from ambient vibration measurements,
steady-state forced vibration tests or free vibration
measurements is discussed here and in Appendix 1. A
section on the scaling problems involved in dynamic
testing of models concludes this last chapter.
As the authors state in the Introduction: ‘There are
some topics either cursorily treated or even omitted in
the text. This is done purposely because available
information is not sufficient to give specific recommenda-
tion.’ Examples of topics which are cursorily treated
include microregionalization, response of flexible pipes
and tunnels, earthquake effects on tanks, structural
synthesis (‘direct design’), protection against tsunamis,
and urban planning and relocation. That such topics
are included-albeit discussed only briefly-is indica-
tive of the broad coverage of the book.
This book will be especially valuable to those involved
in teaching and research in earthquake engineering, as
well as those responsible for the design of structures in
seismic regions. Thus it should more than fulfil the
authors’ hope: ‘ . . . that this book will serve as a guide
103
to those who must cope with the effects of earthquakes,
will supplement the education of other engineers, and
will help open avenues of research.’
ANILK. CHOPRA
Department of Civil Engineering
University of California
Berkeley, California
ASEISMIC DESIGN ANALYSIS OF BUILDINGS, Kiyoshi Muto,
Maruzen, Tokyo, 1974, xiv+361 pages, $48.00.
The author of this book, Dr. Kiyoshi Muto, was
Professor of Structural Engineering at Tokyo Univer-
sity until his retirement a few years ago. The book under
review is the first in a series of volumes which will
embody the research done by Dr. Muto during his long
career. The contents of this first volume will be of
particular interest to practising structural engineers.
Chapter 1 gives an introduction to the subject covering
design, building codes, recording of earthquake
motions, calculating response of structures and general
characteristics of different types of structures. Chapter
2 covers the Shear Distribution Coefficient method of
analysing frame structures; and examples are given of
the application of this method. Chapter 3 covers
Bending Moments in Uniform Frames; and examples
are given of calculating bending moments produced in
framed structures by lateral forces. Chapter 4 treats
Deflection and Rigidity of Frames; special cases are
analysed to establish the theoretical basis of the
author’s D-value approximate method of Shear
Distribution Coefficient. Chapter 5 deals with a Practical
Method of Frame Analysis; examples are given of
calculating shears and bending moments in frames.
Chapter 6 deals with Frames with Members of Non-
Uniform Sections; a method of general frame analysis
is given together with numerous graphs and experimen-
tal results. Chapter 7 covers Walled Frames; there is
presented a modification of the author’s method of
analysis to cover this type of structure. Chapter 8
deals with Deformations of Shear Walls; methods for
calculating stresses and deflections are given. Chapter 9
deals with Shear Walls with Openings; experimental
results are given and comparisons are made between
theory and experiment. Chapter 10 deals with Shear
Walls and Boundary Effects; a number of different
cases are analysed and extensive tables of relevant
quantities are given together with experimental results.
Chapter 11 deals with Influence of Slab Deformation;
single and multistorey structures are considered and
methods of analysis are presented. Chapter 12 concerns
itself with earthquake-resistant design criteria; design
criteria and principles of aseismic design are presented.
There are six appendices in which special topics are
further amplified.
Professor Muto’s very active career began in the
1920s and this book presents an interesting overview of
his work, mostly from the earlier part of his career
before the advent of digital computers. An additional
four volumes are promised and they, no doubt, will