Influence on the building base shear and drifts when adding a fraction of the live load to the effective seismic weight

Abstract

This article studies the impact on the base shear and floor drift when including a fraction of the live load in the effective seismic weight. The analyses consider the variation in the building period of vibration due to an increase in the effective seismic weight; the corresponding changes in the spectral acceleration and base shear are evaluated using the elastic design spectrum given by the Ecuadorian seismic code, for three different locations and a selected type of soil. Analyses were also conducted in several low-rise structures to study the changes in the drift. It was found that including a fraction of the live load in the effective seismic weight produces an increase in the base shear and drifts; the magnitude of such increase depends on the building period of vibration, and the relation between live and dead loads.