There is an ever-increasing demand for ground motion records, within engineering projects, to study the nonlinear structural response through time-history analysis. Several studies have shown that if the selection of ground motion records is conducted regardless of the seismic hazard of the site, or if these are selected based solely on the magnitude and distance to the rupture, the structural response might be severely biased. That is why the selection of records conducted by epiCentro is based on the seismic hazard of the study site.

The main outcome of this type of studies is a set of ground motion acceleration recordings that are consistent with the seismic hazard at the site of interest.

In many cases, especially in structural projects founded on soft soils, the strong motion on the free surface of the soil profile might not be duly characterised by simplified parameters, such as the shear wave velocity of the top 30 m of soil (Vs30). For these cases, it is recommended to conduct a site response analysis, where the nonlinear response of the soil is explicitly considered upon seismic excitations, aiming at obtaining a better characterisation of the site conditions. For these studies, the column soil stratigraphy is used as the primary input, along with the dynamic linear and nonlinear properties of each soil layer.

The main outcome of this type of studies is the nonlinear dynamic amplification of the soil, between the bedrock and the free surface (or another depth), to calculate a site-specific response spectrum.

Modern seismic guidelines consider several seismic performance objectives, such as avoiding the structural collapse under severe earthquakes. Nonetheless, the seismic risk is not directly quantified. Thus, epiCentro offers the seismic risk assessment of diverse structural systems, such as residential buildings, civil infrastructures, hospitals, industrial buildings, critical structures, etc. These studies consider the assessment of the seismic hazard of the site of interest, the structural response considering potential nonlinearities, and the assessment of the seismic fragility of the structural and non-structural components. The calculation of the seismic risk includes uncertainties throughout all the relevant stages.

Due to the ever-increasing complexity, more civil and industrial structural systems located in seismic regions require advanced structural analysis. In general, these types of structures are pioneers and frequently do not have precedents to draw from, or simply fall out of the scope of local seismic guidelines, due to multiple reasons. In epiCentro, we seek to leverage state-of-the-art research to fulfill the client's requirements..

These studies consider the following analyses:

• 1. Finite Element Models.


• 2. Nonlinear static analysis (i.e., Pushover) and nonlinear dynamic analysis (i.e., time-history).


• 3. Vibrations analysis.


• 4. Vulnerability assessment.


• 5. Simplified numerical models.


• 6. Special projects.

The ever-increasing progress of technology, especially within the field of hardware and communications, has enabled the possibility of monitoring permanently and in real-time the structural performance of a wide range of civil infrastructure. This type of monitoring system is under continuous development, not only because of technological progress but also due to scientific knowledge advancement in several fields. These fields range from system identification to storage and processing of large volumes of data. The main applications of these methods are vibration measurement, seismic response, structural damage detection, measurement of dynamic parameters (i.e., periods of vibration and damping ratios), identification of annoying vibrations, among others.

Some of the outcomes of these services are:

• 1. Development of modern real-time monitoring software, according to the needs of the specific project.


• 2. Data processing and interpretation of new and existing measurement datasets.


• 3. Solutions to structural problems identified upon experimental measurements.

We accompany the owner throughout all stages of the project, helping to make the best-informed decisions regarding the design and seismic performance of their new or current assets. Among the services epiCentro provides are the following:

• 1. Preparation of structural design bases and criteria.


• 2. Recommendations about the potential consideration of seismic isolation and dissipation devices.


• 3. Design optimisations.


• 4. Structural review.


• 5. Structural reinforcement and retrofitting.


• 6. Technical counterpart in structural seismic design.


• 7. Specialist studies for structural repurposing and recovering.


• 8. Probabilistic damage assessment.


• 9. Forensic engineering.

Several systems of seismic protection (e.g., dissipators, isolators, tuned mass dampers) allow controlling the structural response against severe seismic events, enabling, for instance, the “continuous operation” immediately in the aftermath of the event. Additionally, these systems enable controlling vibrations and displacements induced to critical structures with high-sensitivity equipment, such as hospitals. Due to their complexity, those projects with this kind of protection system demand a technical peer-review. In epiCentro we have the expertise to conduct these specialised reviews, accompanying our clients throughout the project.

It is common to find a pool of specialised providers for industrial equipment. Although most of them offer standardised and optimised solutions in terms of equipment operability, this is not necessarily the case for seismic safety. In Chile, the NCh2369 provisions offer recommendations for seismic design of industrial facilities, including a number of specific requirements for industrial equipment, which are not always met by providers. Moreover, these provisions require the seismic review of not only the structural design but also of the main equipment involved in the productive process of the industrial facility, so that the “continuous operation” performance target is achieved. In epiCentro, we have the capacity and expertise to execute the seismic review of industrial equipment according to current official provisions.

Seismic review of structural projects, from residential buildings and civil infrastructure, to special projects and industrial plants. epiCentro is focused on the client's needs throughout the project development.

Do not hesitate to contact us for other studies or services related to structural engineering, seismic engineering, and monitoring systems. Besides, we have a pool of highly specialised partners with industrial and academic experience who are helping us to find the best solution for your project.