Overview
ISO 23469:2005 - Bases for design of structures: Seismic actions for designing geotechnical works provides practical guidelines for specifying seismic actions when designing geotechnical works. The standard covers soil- and rock-related works such as buried structures (tunnels, culverts, pipelines), foundations (shallow and deep), retaining walls, pile‑supported wharves and piers, earth and rockfill dams and embankments, gravity dams, landfills and waste sites. It is intended for use by experienced practising engineers and code writers and is compatible with ISO 2394.
Key Topics
ISO 23469:2005 structures seismic-design guidance around these core technical topics:
- Seismic hazard analysis (deterministic and probabilistic approaches) for defining reference earthquake motions.
- Site response analysis and assessment of liquefaction potential to evaluate local soil amplification and pore‑pressure effects.
- Spatial variation of ground motion and horizontal wave propagation effects across sites.
- Fault displacements, ground failure and other geotechnical hazards, including liquefaction-induced settlement, lateral spreading and flow failures.
- Methods for specifying seismic actions:
- Equivalent static analysis (simplified and detailed approaches).
- Dynamic analysis (simplified and detailed), including inertial and kinematic soil–structure interaction.
- Consideration of paraseismic influences, hydro‑dynamic pressures, and performance criteria (acceptable displacements, strains).
- Informative annexes offering extended guidance (site response, spatial variability, liquefaction assessment, soil‑structure interaction, model‑specific actions).
Applications
This standard is used to:
- Define seismic loading conditions for design and safety assessment of geotechnical works.
- Guide the selection between simplified and advanced analyses depending on performance objectives and consequences of failure.
- Evaluate effects critical to geotechnical performance such as liquefaction, soil‑structure interaction, and fault displacement.
Practical applications include design of tunnels, culverts, pipelines, embankments, dams, quay walls, foundations, and landfill stability under seismic loading.
Who should use this standard
- Geotechnical and civil engineers designing or assessing geotechnical works in seismic regions
- Structural engineers dealing with soil–structure interaction
- Code developers and regulators setting seismic design rules
- Consultants performing seismic hazard, site response, and liquefaction analyses
Related Standards
- ISO 2394:1998 - General principles on reliability for structures (compatible)
- ISO 3010:2001 - Seismic actions on structures
- ISO 13822:2001 - Assessment of existing structures (additional procedures for existing geotechnical works)
Keywords: ISO 23469:2005, seismic actions, geotechnical works, liquefaction, site response analysis, seismic hazard analysis, soil‑structure interaction, equivalent static analysis, dynamic analysis.
