Ongoing Seismic Testing and Analysis Program of the CUREe-Caltech Woodframe Project

The CUREe-Caltech Woodframe Project is currently underway in California as a combined research and implementation project to improve the seismic performance of woodframe buildings, a need which was brought to light by the January 14, 1994 Northridge, California Earthquake in the Los Angeles metropolitan region. The project, funded by FEMA, has five main elements, which together with a management element are designed to make the engineering of woodframe buildings more scientific and their construction technology more efficient for targeted seismic performance. The main research components of the project are included in the Testing and Analysis Element managed at the University of California, San Diego. The objective of this paper is to briefly describe the projects currently underway in the Element 1 - Testing and Analysis of the CUREe-Caltech Woodframe Project. The other elements of the CUREe-Caltech Woodframe Project are Element 2 —Field Investigations, Element 3 — Codes and Standards, Element 4 —Economic Applications, and Element 5 — Education and Outreach.