A KBES for Seismic Design of Buildings

A knowledge-based expert system for earthquake resistant design of buildings is described. The knowledge-intensive nature of the domain and the consequent motivation for an expert-system approach are presented. The objectives in developing such a prototype system and the organization of the program to achieve these objectives are discussed. The extensive use of graphics to enhance the utility and performance of the system is stressed. A brief description of the knowledge base is provided, delineating some of the capabilities of the prototype for reasoning.