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BOOK REVIEWS

Title: Earthquake and Volcanic Eruptions: Other aspects within this large part on earthquake damage
a Handbook of Risk Assessment include fire and explosions following earthquakes, contents of
buildings, factories and stores, interruption of business,
Author: Herbert Tiedemann exposures in various insurance branches (marine, vehicles,
glass, third party liability, life, accidents and health), repair
Publisher: The Swiss Reinsurance Co., Ziirich, 1992, 951pp. and protective devices.

Price: US$180.00 Emphasis in damage evaluation is perhaps disproportionately

placed in this book on statistical studies covering mainly the
ISBN: effects of earthquakes in this century. This includes
construction, the vast majority of which would be considered
as unsatisfactory in terms of modern seismic design
This is a major work with significant appeal not only to philosophies and practices. Often assessment of likely
structural engineers of New Zealand, but also to architects, building response is based on widely used but by now
developers and members of the insurance industry. Because outdated design concepts and particularly on traditional
of the dominance of seismic issues it may be considered as an rather than rational and experimentally verified construction
encyclopedia of earthquake engineering where the latter is ( detailing) requirements. As a basis for seismic design the
taken in a broad sense. As expected, it addresses primarily author advocates the emphasis on increased strength of
the sources, the nature, the consequences, the mitigation of structures and advances a rather gloomy view on the role of
and compensation for damage rather than issues relevant to ductility. In view of the insurance industry's major concern
survival. Thus the volume will have particular appeal to for damage mitigation, this . opm10n is perhaps
insurers. The text is supplemented with over 700 superbly understandable. The currently used two levels of seismic
prepared graphs and coloured pictures. The latter represents design, one in accordance with a serviceability limit state that
perhaps the most extensive collection of the display of addresses primarily the protection of building contents, and
damage. the ultimate limit state that concerns mainly the structure,
are not reported. New Zealand structural engineers will find
This monumental work deals with the subject in three parts. that local code provisions for both design and construction
cater well for most of the design aspects considered in this
Part 1 gives the background to earthquakes and volcanism. book to be unsatisfactory or of doubtful quality.
It will appeal to seismologists and will satisfy the curiosity of
architects and structural engineers and others within the Part 3 of the book covers insurance aspects, risk optimisation,
construction industry. To name only a few, the following disaster management and research and rescue. It describes
topics are covered comprehensively : Plate tectonics faulting, rating and correlated issues with the aid of numerous graphs,
foci, earthquake magnitude and intensity, origin ofisoseismal indemnity limits, layered and non-proportional covers and
maps, probability considerations and risk maps, the provides extensive and detailed rating examples. It concludes
fundamentals of ground motions, geology and subsoil with the coverage of portfolio aspects, assessment and
conditions, tsunamis and earthquake prediction. control, and risk optimisation.

Some 170 pages are devoted to aspects of volcanism such as A 94 page separate supplementary catalogue of earthquakes
magma, products of and types of eruptions, the relevance of and volcanic eruptions describes a large number of historical
distances, areas, volumes and probability, types of damage, instrumented earthquakes and is accompanied by three
warning and prediction, protection and risk optimisation. seismic index maps.

In Part 2 some 370 pages are assigned to damage caused by Numerous appendices and a very extensive glossary, index
earthquakes. This part surveys design considerations relevant and bibliography, over close to 200 pages, facilitate the
to ground motions, response spectra, behaviour of buildings, efficient use of this handbook. It is considered to be a
common procedures and effects of structural irregularity. It valuable asset in the offices of structural and mechanical
lists and illustrates common defects in design, the advantages engineers, architects and all those involved with earthquake
and disadvantages of different structural systems, design and insurance. Designers who are req~ired to evaluate seismic
construction requirements embodied in building codes. risk for a particular project rather than rely on assessments
Aspects of damage are examined in considerable detail implied by codes, will find the information very useful.
including the role of subsoil, site effects, material properties,
workmanship, foundations, orientational sensitivity, non-
structural damage and damage statistics. T. Paulay

Special sections are devoted to industrial and civil

engineering structures, such as towers, silos, treatment plants, NOTE: The book may be ordered from the Swiss
railways, wharfs and docks, subways, bridges, pipelines and Reinsurance Company, Mythenquai 50/60, Zurich,
dams. Attention is also given to mechanical, electrical, Switzerland.
chemical plants and related equipment.

BULLETIN OF TitE NEW ZEALAND NAllONAL SOCIETY FOR EARTitQUAKE ENGINEERING, Vol. 27, No.1, March 1994
 77

Title: "An Introduction to Seismic Isolation" Throughout the book there is a logical progression in its
coverage of seismic isolation with the chapter topics
Authors: RI Skinner, WH Robinson and GH McVerry covering:

Publisher: John Wiley and Sons, Chichester, UK, 1993 1. Introduction.

Concepts of seismic isolation, comparison with
ISBN: 0 471 93433 X conventional design, components and application.

2. General Features of Structures with Seismic Isolation.

Response spectra, modes of free vibration, effects of
The interest of the authors in the field of seismic isolation isolation, selection of isolation systems, etc.
began over 25 years ago, in 1967, when a group of
earthquake engineering researchers at the (then) DSIR 3. Isolator Devices and Systems.
Physics and Engineering Laboratory (PEL) became involved Yielding steel devices, lead extrusion dampers,
in design studies for a "stepping" bridge over the Rangitikei elastomeric and lead-rubber bearings, PTFE bearings,
River. The system adopted included steel-beam dampers buffers.
and laminated-rubber components. The use of similar
components was then considered as a means of providing 4. Structures with Seismic Isolation: Responses and
seismic isolation for the William Clayton building in Response Mechanisms.
Wellington. However, interaction with the materials science Linear structures with linear and bilinear isolation,
researchers at PEL occurred at an early stage. This group secondary systems, torsionally unbalanced structures.
was interested in the behaviour of plastically deforming
metals and they went on to develop a range of isolator S. A Basis for the Design of Seismically Isolated Structures.
components based on lead to provide lead extrusion dampers General approach, design procedures, design examples.
and lead-rubber isolators. It was the latter that came to be
used in the William Clayton building. Since this time, the 6. Applications of Seismic Isolation.
researchers at the Physics and Engineering Laboratory have Structures isolated in New Zealand, the USA and Italy.
developed and tested many of the current seismic isolation Isolation of delicate or potentially hazardous structures.
devices used throughout the world and have helped develop
some of the various design methods. It is fitting that they The book is well written and contains a large number of
are the authors of the first text on the application of seismic photographs, diagrams and graphs. It makes a clear
isolation methods to engineering structures. presentation of the various concepts and takes the reader
through the calculation steps in the design examples. In
This book of 354 pages is indeed a very thorough discussing the applications of isolation techniques to
"introduction" to the subject as it covers all the major aspects structures, the figures clearly show how the designers have
of seismic isolation, the properties of the structures, isolation applied the technique to provide the required level of
devices and systems, the response of isolated structures, the protection for their structures.
design of isolation systems, and gives examples of isolation
applied to both buildings and bridges. Many of the examples This book should become essential reading not only for those
illustrated are structures that have been built in New practising engineers who are unfamiliar with the concepts of
Zealand and in which the authors have been consulted in the seismic isolation and wish to gain an understanding, but also
design process and the devices developed by PEL have been to those who are but want a concise guide to what is sound
used. The design methods discussed in the book cover many engineering practice. It also sets a very high standard for
of the different approaches used around the world for the future texts on the subject.
design of seismically isolated structures. The book contains
a large number of references on all aspects of seismic
isolation and this will be of_ immense value to researchers in
this field.

The book appears to be aimed at both practising design

engineers looking for insight into the application of seismic
isolation to engineering structures and also at researchers
attempting to further the development of design methods for
seismically isolated structures. To this end, the authors have
oriented the mathematical analysis of the seismic responses
to give a clear understanding of the processes involved and
have provided initial isolator parameter values for engineers
or architects wishing to incorporate seismic isolation in their
designs.