ET Application Areas
Endurance Time method has many areas of application in Earthquake Engineering. Some of these areas are as follows:
1. Preliminary and/or Simplified Response History Analysis:
The simplicity of the ET procedure makes it a good tool for preliminary response history analysis of almost any dynamic structural system. By applying an intensifying dynamic loading, many of the modeling issues can be readily identified and corrected. The structural analyst is mostly relived of the complexities involved with ground motion selection and scaling. A good insight about the dynamic response of the model at different intensity levels can be developed more conveniently as compared to conventional response history based procedures.
2. Response History Analysis of large and/or complex models:
A major benefit of ET method is in seismic assessment of large and/or complex dynamic systems that are too large for conventional response history analysis and yet too complex to justify simplified analysis such as static, pushover or modal analysis. In ET method, normally only one to three response history analyses are adequate for estimating structural response at the entire intensity range of interest with reasonable accuracy.
3. Structural Design Optimization:
Design optimization of structures often requires too many analysis cycles. ET method can pave the way towards practical response history based seismic design optimization.
4. Value Based Seismic Design:
Design optimization based on life cycle cost evaluation and more generally, value considerations involving various risks also involves too many repetitive response history analyses. ET method provides a practical approach in this regard.
5. Experimental Seismic Analysis:
Another ideal areas of application for ET method is in experimental investigations, i.e. shaking table tests. Reduction of the costs and extracting most useful information using minimum number of tests is usually critical in these type of studies. ET method can be very effective in this regard.
Some more specific applications of ET method in Earthquake Engineering are as follows: