Seismic Resistant Reinforced Concrete Structures-Design Principles

Earthquakes cause considerable economic losses. It is possible to minimize the economic loses by proper seismic design. In this paper basic principles for seismic design are summarized. There are three basic requirements to be satisfied; (a) strength, (b) ductility and (c) stiffness. In the paper these are briefly discussed.
In the second part of the paper the author summarizes his views on the damages observed in the past earthquakes. He concludes that most of the damages have been due to, (a) bad configuration, (b) inadequate detailing and (c) inadequate supervision. In the paper these are discussed, pointing out the common mistakes made and damages observed as a result of these mistakes.
In the last part of the paper some simple recommendations are made for producing seismic resistant reinforced concrete structures, emphasizing on detailing and proportioning.