Instructor

Finely A. Charney, Ph.D., P.E.
Finely A. Charney, Ph.D., P.E., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia. He also serves as Director for the Center for Extreme Load Effects on Structures, which is affiliated with Virginia Tech’s Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science. Prior to joining Virginia Tech in 2001, Dr. Charney had more than 20 years of professional experience in structural engineering, with an emphasis on the analysis, design, and behavior of structures subjected to wind and earthquake loads. He maintains a limited consulting practice through his firm, Advanced Structural Concepts, Inc.

Dr. Charney has taught graduate level university courses in earthquake engineering, and for the past ten years has been the Lead instructor for the week long Earthquake Protective Design course at FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute in Emmitsburg, Maryland. He has also developed a new FEMA course entitled “Topics in Performance Based Earthquake Engineering”. Dr. Charney has created numerous computer programs for earthquake engineering education, including NONLIN, NONLIN-Pro, and EQTools. He is an active member of ASCE and the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and earned his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley. Dr.Charney is a member of the NEHRP Seismic Provisions Update Subcommittee 2, General Design and Protective Technology

James R. Martin, II, Ph.D.
Dr. Martin is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Associate Director of the Center for Extreme Load Effects on Structures (CELES) at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. He has more than 15 years experience in earthquake engineering practice and research, and has taught undergraduate and graduate university courses at Virginia Tech since 1990. He has also served as Instructor for the Advanced Earthquake Protective Design course at FEMA’s Multi-Hazard Building Design Institute in Emmitsburg, MD, and developed university courses on earthquake hazards for FEMA’s Higher Education Project.

Dr. Martin specializes in the area of geotechnical earthquake and foundation engineering, including site response analysis and soil effects on ground motions, liquefaction, soil and site improvement, probabilistic seismic hazard assessment, numerical modeling, and Geographical Information System (GIS) applications. He is active in earthquake hazard assessment studies in the eastern and central US, and has been closely involved with the transfer of seismic engineering technology to the region and development of building codes. Martin is an active civil engineering consultant, and has worked on more than 60 major projects for more than 40 different private and public organizations.

Dr. Martin has received a number of national and state recognition for teaching, research, and professional work, including the American Society of Civil Engineer’s Norman Medal. He received his B.S. degree from The Citadel, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Virginia Tech..

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Course Description

With the introduction of ASCE 7-05 Minimum Load Standards and the 2006 International Building Code (IBC), some consideration of seismic resistant design is required for most building structures in the United States. Effective use of these documents requires a thorough understanding of the principles of earthquake engineering, from ground motion seismology, to structural dynamics, to inelastic behavior, to design and detailing. The purpose of this seminar is to provide this understanding to practicing professional engineers that have little or no previous training in earthquake engineering. While other seismic seminars focus on the design aspect of earthquake engineering, the purpose of this seminar is to concentrate on the fundamentals. The course begins with a historical and philosophical review of earthquake engineering and seismic code development, followed by an overview of the latest code approaches to seismic resistant design. These code approaches are then broken down into their basic components, and a detailed step by- step explanation is provided on how and why each component was developed. The seminar includes a description of a variety of seismic resistant structural systems in reinforced concrete and structural steel. The seminar ends with a brief look towards the future: passive energy systems, seismic isolation, and performance based concepts in earthquake engineering.

 Whenever possible, the material is taught by example. The powerful NONLIN computer program, developed by FEMA for earthquake engineering education, serves a prominent role during the first day of the course. To maximize your ability to continue to learn about earthquake engineering, detailed reference material is provided for each slide presented in the seminar. The course also gives you the latest information on earthquake engineering materials available on the world wide web. All course participants receive a printed Student Manual, and a copy of the NONLIN program on CD ROM

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Seminar Benefits

• Learn the history and philosophy of seismic code development in the United States.
• Obtain a complete understanding of the most recent building code provisions (2006 International Building Code, ASCE 7-05, NEHRP Recommended Provisions for Seismic Regulations for New Buildings).
• Receive a copy of Version 7.0 of the powerful NONLIN computer program, used for visualizing earthquake ground motion data and for performing linear and nonlinear dynamic analysis of simple structures. This new version of NONLIN contains an updated database of recorded ground motions as well as advanced tools for selecting and scaling motions for analysis.
• Receive a detailed reference list, including internet sites, for continued learning after the seminar.

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Who Should Attend

Structural engineers, architects, building officials, and professionals in related fields interested in learning about the principles and practice of earthquake engineering will benefit from this course.

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Summary Outline

Day One

• Course Introduction
• Earthquake Ground Motions and Their Effects
• Seismic Hazard Analysis
• Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering
• Introduction to Structural Dynamics

Day Two

• Inelastic Behavior of Structures
• Overview of IBC 2006/ASCE 7-05 Seismic Provisions
• Example Seismic Load Analysis
• Seismic Resistant Structural Systems
• Lessons Learned from Previous Earthquakes

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Attendees’ Comments

“The best ASCE seminar that I have attended.”
-Charles V.Droddy,P.E.,Bryan,TX

“Good fundamental course that helped me to better understand where the code values and formulas come from.”
-Charles D.Barnes, Structural Department Manager,
Jordan Jones & Goulding,Norcross,GA

“This course gave me a comprehensive understanding of the seismic section of the code. I have a much improved knowledge which will enable me to interpret the code and adapt the relevant provisions to my design.”
-Richard Holsington,Holsington Engineering,Newtown,PA

“The course content was highly informative. I now have a greater understanding of earthquake engineering.”
-Jason Harber,Vintage Archonics, Inc.,Fort Wayne, IN

“The instructor had a superb ability to explain structure dynamics in a simple way, especially the development of response spectrum.”
-Jose Hernandez,P.E.,The Louis Berger Group, Linden,NJ

“This course did exactly what I expected. I was very pleased with the course and the instructor. I thought this course was an excellent introduction to the subject!”
Ron Cutright, Division Director
U.S. Department of Energy/National Energy Technology Lab Morgantown, WV

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