Expert systems for seismic engineering: the state-of-the-art

Abstract This paper begins with a brief introduction to the application of expert system technology to civil engineering, and goes on to review a subset of prototype expert system applications in seismic engineering. The prototypes reviewed cover a wide range of seismic applications. A prototype expert system called SDA (seismic design assistant) developed by the authors is also briefly described. The paper concludes with a comparative study of some of the selected expert systems and closes with an assessment of the roles that expert system technology can play in seismic engineering, especially in the design of buildings.