Endurance Time Method for Seismic Analysis and Design of Structures

In this paper, a new method for performance based earthquake analysis and design has been introduced. In this method, the structure is subjected to accelerograms that impose increasing dynamic demand on the structure with time. Specified damage indexes are monitored up to the collapse level or other performance limit that defines the endurance limit point for the structure. Also, a method for generating standard intensifying accelerograms has been described. Three accelerograms have been generated using this method. Furthermore, the concept of Endurance Time has been described by applying these accelerograms to single and multi degree of freedom linear systems. The application of this method for analysis of complex nonlinear systems has been explained. Endurance Time method provides a uniform approach to seismic analysis and design of complex structures that can be applied in numerical and experimental investigations.