Seismic Load

Plain Definition: The force that an earthquake applies to a structure.

Technical Description: Inertial forces generated due to ground shaking, calculated using base shear formulas from design codes (e.g., V = CsW).

Use in Design: Drives the design of lateral force-resisting systems.

Meta Title: What Is Seismic Load? | Earthquake Engineering Glossary

Meta Description: Understand seismic load—how earthquakes apply force to structures and how engineers design for it.