Future development of the European seismic code, Eurocode 8

摘要

Publication of the ten structural Eurocodes during the first decade of the 21st century representedrnone of the most ambitious projects of European collaboration in structural engineering. Eurocode 8 – design ofrnstructures for earthquake resistance – was published in 2004, and its six parts gave it a scope which exceededrnany other seismic code anywhere in the world; thus, it covered not just buildings, but also bridges and a rangernof other civil and industrial structures. Moreover, it applied to a very wide range of seismic hazard conditions,rnfrom the low seismicity of Northern Europe to the highly active regions of the South. Many of the provisionsrnof the code were among the most advanced available at the time of publication, and represented a distinctlyrndifferent tradition and approach from that found in US seismic codes such as ASCE 7 and ACI 318. However,rnearthquake engineering is a rapidly advancing discipline, and since the code was originally drafted there havernbeen many important developments, including those in seismic hazard assessment, foundation and structuralrndesign, seismic performance specification and seismic analysis. Moreover, societal expectations for structuralrnand non-structural performance in an earthquake are becoming much more demanding.Work on revising all thernEurocodes, including Eurocode 8 (EC8), is due to start in 2014, with the intention of publishing revised standardsrnfor use in around 2020. The paper reports on the current proposals for upgrading EC8. In the opinion of thernauthor, who has been involved in EC8’s development for over twenty years, a broad ranging review of objectivesrnfor EC8 should also be undertaken, to set out a framework for its development after the current revision processrnis complete.