SeismoSafe
An interactive education platform for seismic design
User Manual
Welcome to SeismoSafe
SeismoSafe is an interactive, visual platform that makes earthquake design easier to understand for everyone. Focused on the Tibet / Sichuan / Nepal (Himalayan) region, our approach combines seismic safety with a sustainable and culturally respectful mindset, using low carbon-footprint materials such as rammed earth, cross-laminated timber, and recycled steel.
Quick Start
- Site Design — Explore our sustainable, culturally respectful 3D seismic design with interactive cross-sections.
- Building & Risk — Define structural massing and run quick risk checks or export SAP2000 files.
- Models — Compare 5 structural systems (RC, Steel, Timber, Base Isolated, Hybrid) under earthquake loading.
- Collapse Lab — Watch a cell-fractured building model collapse under M8+ shaking.
- History — Interactive Leaflet map of historical earthquakes with civil engineering data.
- Designer / Report / Compare — Design, assess, and compare structural solutions.
Our Sustainable Seismic Design
A crew-designed earthquake-resilient structure — sustainable, culturally respectful, and built with low carbon-footprint materials.
Sustainable Design
Our crew's design prioritises environmental sustainability — minimising waste, optimising energy performance, and integrating passive seismic resilience strategies.
Respect for Local Culture
Inspired by Tibetan and Himalayan vernacular architecture — honouring traditional building forms, spatial layouts, and community-centred design while meeting modern seismic codes.
Low Carbon Footprint
Built with locally sourced rammed earth, cross-laminated timber, and recycled steel — reducing embodied carbon by up to 60% compared to conventional reinforced concrete.
Model Comparison
Select a building model, inspect its 3D form, review performance metrics, and adjust variables for real-time earthquake simulation.
Reinforced Concrete frame – strong and cost-effective, standard code design.
| # | Model | Magnitude | PGA (g) | Stories | Damage | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | RC Frame | 9.0 | 1.20 | 12 | 78.4% | |
| 5 | Hybrid Damper | 7.5 | 0.60 | 10 | 22.9% | |
| 4 | Base Isolated | 8.0 | 0.80 | 6 | 18.3% | |
| 3 | Timber Eco | 7.0 | 0.55 | 4 | 62.1% | |
| 2 | Steel Frame | 6.5 | 0.40 | 8 | 28.7% | |
| 1 | RC Frame | 5.0 | 0.25 | 5 | 34.2% |
User Manual
Model Comparison Tab Guide
Compare 5 structural systems under different earthquake scenarios using SDOF analysis.
Models Available
- RC Frame — Most common in China; governed by GB 50011 ductility requirements.
- Steel Frame — Higher ductility; preferred for tall buildings in Sichuan.
- Timber Eco — Traditional Tibetan construction; limited to low-rise.
- Base Isolated — Recommended for hospitals/schools in high-seismicity zones.
- Hybrid Damper — Advanced system with viscous dampers + steel frame.
Key Metrics
- PGA — Peak Ground Acceleration in g (Wenchuan recorded 0.96g).
- Inter-story drift — Must stay below 2% for life-safety per most codes.
- Damage index — Park-Ang style index; >60% indicates irreparable damage.
Collapse Simulation
Watch the cell-fractured building progressively collapse under earthquake forces (M ≥ 8.0).
User Manual
Collapse Lab Guide
Simulate progressive collapse of a cell-fractured building model under earthquake shaking.
How to Use
- Set Magnitude ≥ 8.0 to trigger collapse (threshold based on Wenchuan M7.9).
- Adjust Duration — typical strong-motion duration for Himalayan thrust events: 15–40s.
- Crack Height — controls where the building fractures; relates to soft-story failure level.
- Click Run and observe progressive wave-front collapse propagation.
Civil Engineering Context
- Wenchuan 2008: 90% of non-ductile RC frames in Beichuan showed pancake collapse.
- Gorkha 2015: Unreinforced masonry was most vulnerable; modern RC frames survived.
- The crack-formation pattern simulates construction joint failures common in poor-quality concrete.
Seismic Wave Visualizer
Watch P-wave, S-wave, and Surface wave propagation in real-time with adjustable parameters.
P-Wave
Compressional (longitudinal). Fastest wave, arrives first. Travels through solids and liquids. Speed: 5–8 km/s.
S-Wave
Shear (transverse). Slower than P-wave. Only travels through solids. Speed: 3–5 km/s. Causes more damage.
Surface Wave
Rayleigh & Love waves. Slowest but most destructive. Travel along Earth's surface. Speed: 2–4 km/s.
User Manual
Seismic Wave Visualizer Guide
Visualize P-wave, S-wave, and Surface wave propagation from an earthquake source.
Parameters
- Magnitude — Controls wave energy. Himalayan events: typically M6.5–8.5.
- Depth — Shallow (<20km) produce stronger surface shaking. Himalayan thrust events are often 10–20km deep.
- Distance — Epicentral distance. Kathmandu is ~80km from the MHT rupture zone.
- Soil Type — Soft soil (like Kathmandu lacustrine clay) amplifies waves 3–5×.
Wave Types Explained
- P-wave (Primary) — Fastest; compressional; causes vertical building motion.
- S-wave (Shear) — Slower but more damaging; horizontal motion damages columns.
- Surface wave — Slowest, most destructive; Rayleigh waves cause rolling ground motion.
Building Designer
Customize building parameters, materials, and foundation type; then test your design in the Collapse Lab.
User Manual
Building Designer Guide
Design a building parametrically and assess its seismic readiness score.
Design Parameters
- Shape — L-shape and U-shape introduce plan irregularity, penalized in seismic codes.
- Materials — Masonry (common in Nepal) is weakest; Composite offers best performance.
- Foundation — Base Isolated adds +20 score; required for critical facilities in Zone V.
- Seismic Code — GB 50011 (China), NBC-105 (Nepal), IS:1893 (India) are relevant for Himalayan region.
Assessment Criteria
- Irregularity — Torsional effects from L/U shapes increase collapse risk.
- Soft Story — Open ground floors (common in Nepal shops) create weak stories.
- Overturning — Height-to-width ratio >4 is dangerous in high-seismicity zones.
- Foundation Match — Deep piles needed for >12 floors in Himalayan alluvial soils.
Earthquake History
Browse significant historical earthquakes with magnitude, location, casualties, and mapped epicenters.
| Year | Location | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Casualties | MMI | Tsunami |
|---|
User Manual
Earthquake History Guide
Interactive Leaflet map showing historical earthquakes with civil engineering data.
Features
- Map — Click markers for detailed CE data: soil type, fault type, PGA, liquefaction, building & bridge damage.
- Fault lines — Red dashed lines show major faults: Main Himalayan Thrust (MHT), Longmenshan, Xianshuihe.
- Table — Click any row to fly to that earthquake's location on the map.
- Himalayan filter — Default to show 14 events in the Tibet/Sichuan/Nepal region.
Civil Engineering Data Fields
- Peak PGA — Maximum recorded ground acceleration (Wenchuan: 0.96g).
- Liquefaction — Soil liquefaction occurred (critical for foundation design).
- CE Note — Key engineering lesson learned from each event.
Structural Report
Generate a comprehensive damage assessment report from your latest simulation run.
User Manual
Structural Report Guide
Generate damage assessment reports based on EMS-98 European Macroseismic Scale.
Data Sources
- Collapse Lab — Uses final collapse state from the GLB model simulation.
- Models Tab — Uses SDOF analysis results from the last simulation run.
- Building Designer — Uses the seismic readiness assessment score.
Report Sections
- Damage Grade — EMS-98 Grade 1–5; Grade ≥3 triggers detailed inspection per Chinese Standard GB/T 24335.
- Peak Drift — Inter-story drift ratio; >2.5% indicates life-safety failure.
- Repair Cost Ratio — Approximate percentage of replacement cost needed for repairs.
- Occupancy Safety — Red/Green tag equivalent; Grade ≥3 means evacuate.
Side-by-Side Comparison
Run two simulations simultaneously with different parameters and compare results.
User Manual
Comparison Mode Guide
Run two structural simulations side-by-side with different parameters to compare performance.
How to Use
- Configure Sim A and Sim B with different models/parameters.
- Click Run Both to start simultaneous SDOF simulations.
- Watch the animated building response in real-time.
- Review the Comparison Summary table to see which system performed better.
Civil Engineering Applications
- Compare RC Frame vs Base Isolated for a hospital in Kathmandu (high-seismicity).
- Compare Steel vs Hybrid Damper for tall buildings along the Sichuan-Tibet corridor.
- Test the same model at different PGA levels to find the damage threshold.