A Comparative Study of the Seismic Design Codes used in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic

Abstract

A comparative study of the seismic analysis between the seismic codes used in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic was performed. This study shows a calculation, step by step, of the seismic lateral load for both seismic codes. Results indicates that Guide R001 generates 41.2% higher Base Shear and 10.8% higher story drift, in average, than ASCE 7. However, the Guide R001 requires a lower boundary limit (75% less) for the allowable story drift, which might results in a stiffer building design structures as opposite to the ASCE 7. Key Terms - Acceleration Parameters, Design Spectral, Fundamental Period of Structure, Lateral Loads, Site Classification.