A new energy-based ground motion selection and modification method limiting the dynamic response dispersion and preserving the median demand

Abstract

A novel ground motion selection and modifications method to perform response history analysis of structures is presented in this paper. Currently, the accessibility of ground motion information permits the analysis of structures using real ground motion data. Predicting the dynamic behavior of structures is a primary objective; therefore, the selection of a set of ground motions that shows a reduction in the variability of the structural response and accuracy in preserving the median demand is a challenging task. The new selection and scaling procedure emerges from comparing a set of horizontal ground motions at various ranges of frequency. In this study, the conditional mean spectrum and the design response spectrum are used as target spectra, and the records that give an applicable and compelling contribution to the hazard are considered. It is possible to obtain a set of ground motions with similar seismic severity by matching the target spectrum at the period of interest T ref , where the scaled spectrum should have an equivalent Housner intensity in the period range 0.2T ref –2T ref . The horizontal components for every band of frequency is obtained using a specific index that depends on the energy-frequency trend’s shape as well as on its scattering degree around the mean value. This allows obtaining a set of spectrum-compatible records with almost identical severity and low dispersion of the structural response parameters. The methodology has been tested showing a significant effectiveness in terms of low variability of parameters and accuracy in preserving the median demand for a given hazard scenario.