Minimum Recommended SSC Laboratory Seismic Design Requirements

The Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) Laboratory has been strategically located in Ellis County, Texas where design, construction, operation, and maintenance costs would be minimized. One of the parameters that affects costs during the design and construction phases of the laboratory life-cycle is the geological stability of the area with respect to seismic ground motion. Historical records demonstrate that bedrock accelerations expected to occur at any one time during the 20-year operating life of the facility for the project site will generate forces on both surface and subsurface structures of a magnitude less than the minimum forces required by current governing engineering design codes. Specifically, the Uniform Building Code locates the site within the Seismic Zone 0, but remains silent with respect to a Zone 0 minimum lateral loading. The specific magnitude of the minimum applied forces must therefore be determined from an application of both ASCE 7-88 Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures (formerly ANSI A58.1) and FEMA 222, Federal Emergency Management Administration, referenced by and in compliance with DOE 6430.1 A, the governing design code for the SSC.