Structural Dynamics and Earthquake-Resistant Design for Practicing Engineers (3.6 CEUs)

This course will be delivered in 2027 on the following dates. Each session will be held every Saturday for 3 hours in duration, for a total of 12 sessions and 36 CEUs.

January 16,23,30 - February 6,13,27 - March 6,13,20 -April 3,10,17, 2027

Course Description
This course provides an applied introduction to earthquake engineering and structural dynamics for civil and structural engineering practice. It covers seismic ground motion, structural dynamic response, time-history analysis, response spectra, nonlinear seismic behaviour, code-based earthquake-resistant design, lessons from past earthquakes, and practical seismic assessment and retrofit strategies for buildings and infrastructure.

To strengthen the applied component, the course will introduce PRISM for Earthquake Engineering (http://sem.inha.ac.kr/prism/), a program for seismic response analysis of single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) systems, including both elastic and inelastic response. Participants will also have access to complimentary workshop-period licenses for CSI professional structural analysis software, including SAP2000 and ETABS (https://www.csiamerica.com/), enabling them to apply selected course concepts through industry-standard modelling and analysis tools.https://www.csiamerica.com/

Objective

The participant will gain the knowledge and practical tools required to understand earthquake effects on structures, evaluate dynamic and seismic response, interpret response spectra, apply key seismic design provisions, and select appropriate earthquake-resistant design and retrofit approaches in professional engineering practice.

The participant will also be introduced to PRISM for Earthquake Engineering for elastic and inelastic SDOF seismic response analysis, together with the practical use of SAP2000/ETABS through complimentary licenses made available during the workshop period, allowing direct application of structural dynamics and seismic design concepts using professional software.

Target Audience

This course is intended for civil and structural engineers, engineers-in-training, engineering technologists, consulting engineers, municipal and governmental technical staff, infrastructure owners, and project managers involved in the design, assessment, review, or retrofit of buildings and infrastructure exposed to seismic hazards. Prior knowledge of structural analysis and basic reinforced concrete or steel design is recommended.

Level of Course

This level is appropriate because the course addresses structural dynamics, nonlinear response, response-history analysis, code-based seismic design, and retrofit methods that require prior engineering knowledge.

Learning Objectives

After you attend this workshop, you will be able to:

• Define key seismological parameters, including magnitude, duration, frequency content, and characteristics of earthquake ground motion.

• Formulate and solve the equation of motion for single-degree-of-freedom structural systems under free, damped, harmonic, impulsive, and arbitrary loading.

• Perform basic time-history analysis using step-by-step numerical integration procedures and PRISM for Earthquake Engineering for selected SDOF response-analysis examples.

• Interpret elastic, inelastic, and design response spectra and relate them to seismic demand and structural performance.

• Analyze multi-degree-of-freedom systems using vibration mode shapes, eigenvalue solutions, normal coordinates, and modal superposition.

• Model nonlinear seismic response using force-deformation and hysteretic relationships for steel and reinforced concrete structures.

• Demonstrate selected modelling and analysis concepts using PRISM, SAP2000, and ETABS during the workshop, supported by complimentary CSI software licenses for SAP2000/ETABS.

• Apply the key seismic design concepts and provisions of the National Building Code of Canada and relevant U.S. code approaches.

• Evaluate lessons learned from past earthquakes and identify factors that contribute to good or poor structural performance.

• Select appropriate seismic retrofit techniques, including lateral bracing, FRP strengthening, base isolation, and supplementary damping devices.

Special Features

The course combines engineering fundamentals with practical design and retrofit applications. Special features include code-oriented examples based on Canadian and U.S. seismic provisions, interpretation of earthquake records and response spectra, case studies from past earthquakes, introductory time-history analysis procedures, and practical discussion of retrofit alternatives such as bracing, FRP strengthening, base isolation, and damping devices.

A key value-added feature is the integration of PRISM for Earthquake Engineering, which supports elastic and inelastic seismic response analysis of SDOF systems and helps participants connect theoretical dynamic-response concepts with computational implementation.

In addition, complimentary CSI software licenses will be available during the workshop period for SAP2000 and ETABS. These professional tools will allow participants to connect theory with practice by modelling selected structural systems, interpreting analysis outputs, and applying course concepts in a realistic engineering workflow.

Material(s) Required

Participants should bring a scientific calculator and a laptop suitable for reviewing examples, course handouts, PRISM demonstrations, and SAP2000/ETABS software demonstrations. Course notes, selected references, example problems, and relevant code excerpts will be provided. No assigned textbook is required. Familiarity with basic structural analysis is recommended.
Participants will be introduced to PRISM for Earthquake Engineering (http://sem.inha.ac.kr/prism/) for elastic and inelastic SDOF seismic response analysis. They will also be provided with access to complimentary workshop-period licenses for CSI SAP2000 and ETABS (https://www.csiamerica.com/). A laptop and reliable internet access are recommended to make full use of these tools during the workshop period.https://www.csiamerica.com/