A method for matching response spectra of endurance time excitations via the Fourier transform

Abstract

The endurance time (ET) method is a dynamic analysis in which structures are subjected to intensifying excitations, also known as ET excitation functions (ETEF). The ET method is a tool for structural response prediction. The main advantage of the ET method over conventional approaches is its much lower demand for computational efforts. The concept of acceleration spectra is used in generating existing ETEFs. It is expected that ETEF acceleration spectra increase consistently with time and remain proportional to a target spectrum. Nonlinear unconstrained optimization is commonly used to generate ETEFs. Generating new ETEFs is a complicated time-consuming mathematical problem. If the target acceleration spectrum changes, new ETEFs must be generated. This study intends to modify existing ETEFs to be compatible with a desired acceleration spectrum. This process, called spectral matching, obviates the need for using the complicated generating procedure in simulating new ETEFs. ETEFs spectral matching is introduced in this paper for the first time. A Fourier-based method for ETEFs spectral matching is proposed. This algorithm is then applied in a case study. Results are presented to prove the efficiency of the algorithm.