Comparison of Oman Seismic Code for Building With International Counterparts

Abstract eng:
The paper presents a comparison of the recently developed Oman Seismic Code (OSC) for buildings with Uniform Building Code 1997 (UBC) and International Building Code 2006 (IBC). OSC utilizes the seismic hazard assessment of the country and is applicable to building heights up to 60 m. OSC categorizes Sultanate of Oman into two zones; a high seismic zone (Zone-1) and a low seismic zone (Zone-2). Muscat the capital of the country falls in Zone-1. According to UBC, Muscat falls in Zone-2A, this definition was used as the reference for zonal equivalence. The paper compares base shear and lateral force distribution obtained from the three seismic codes using equivalent static load method. 4-, 10- and 14- storey buildings having heights of 17 m, 41 m and 57 m, respectively were considered. The buildings were modeled as reinforced concrete having normal occupancy conditions, resting on soil class “C” defined as very dense soil or soft rock. Both zones of OSC were used for comparison. For all building heights and seismic zones, the international codes (UBC & IBC) provided base shear values that were multiple times higher than OSC. For the high seismic zone, values of base shear obtained by using UBC were 7.6, 4.1 and 3.2 times higher and those from IBC were 6.3, 3.3 and 2.6 times higher than those from OSC for the 4-, 10- and 14- storey buildings, respectively. For the low seismic zone, UBC provided 7.8, 4.2 and 3.3 times higher and IBC gave 5.8, 3.1 and 2.4 times more than those obtained from OSC for the 4-, 10- and 14- storey buildings, respectively. Lateral force distribution had the same scale factor as base shear while OSC distribution followed the same distribution pattern as UBC with a slightly smaller allowance for additional force at the top storey. These numbers indicate that the both UBC and IBC provide highly conservative seismic loads on buildings compared with OSC. Therefore, it is essential that the national seismic code be implemented, to make the seismic design more realistic and economical.

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