Lateral Force Procedure or Seismic Load Effect

[VAStrEngr]

I am having trouble understanding the Seismic Load Effect versus the Lateral Force Procedure.

My boss doesn't do anything with the Seismic Load Effect. When he is doing a seismic check, he figures the lateral force V and applies it to the structure (we typically do 1-3 story buildings or miscellaneous structures).

So, is it one or the other...you either apply the lateral force procedure OR the seismic load effect?

Maybe this seems like an odd question or an odd way of framing it...something just isn't clicking about how to use either/or. Thanks for the help understanding it.

 

[ishvaaag]

When response spectrum analysis was not yet common most seismic analysis was for equivalent seismic lateral forces; if well derived shouldn't a problem, for that was the traditional practice. In fact sometimes the RSA derived base shears are obliged to meet some minimum value related to one of such simplified (or closed form) derivation of the base shear force, an indication that the more modern RSA analysis could be leading without such correction to what those making the codes think would be too optimistic response.