Earthquakes Glossary

design

Systems (structures, facilities, etc.) are designed with reference to a specific stress that they must be able to withstand or to cope with (design value). That means a conscious acceptance that greater (i.e. rarer) stress will results in a complete or at least considerable loss of efficiency. Examples: Design values in Germany (given as return periods) Earthquake building code: T = 475 years Earthquake safety level for water reservoirs (DIN 19700): T = 2475 years Flood levee safety: normally T = 100 years Flood safety level for water reservoirs (DIN 19700): T = 10000 years