Seismic safety

Seismic safety

Terms relating to the constuction of buildings that can withstand earthquakes.

Industry: Construction

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Seismic safety

preservative

Construction; Seismic safety

A chemical that, when suitably applied to wood, makes the wood resistant to attack by fungi, insects, marine borers, or weather conditions.

prescriptive ultimate bearing capacity

Construction; Seismic safety

Assumption of ultimate bearing capacity.

pounding

Construction; Seismic safety

Two adjacent buildings coming in contact during earthquake excitation because they are too close together and/or exhibit different dynamic deflection characteristics.

bearing wall system

Construction; Seismic safety

A structural system with bearing walls providing support for all or major portions of the vertical loads. Shear walls or braced frames provide seismic-force resistance.

shear wall

Construction; Seismic safety

A wall designed to resist lateral forces parallel to the plane of the wall (sometimes referred to as a vertical diaphragm).

nonstructural wall

Construction; Seismic safety

All walls other than bearing walls or shear walls.

nonbearing wall

Construction; Seismic safety

An exterior or interior wall that does not provide support for vertical loads other than its own weight or as permitted by the building code administered by the authority having jurisdiction.