Damping coefficients for near-fault ground motion response spectra

Abstract

Damping coefficients are frequently used in earthquake engineering as a simple way to adjust the pseudo-acceleration or displacement response spectra associated with a viscous damping ratio of 5% to the higher values of viscous damping needed for design of structures equipped with base isolation and/or supplemental energy dissipation devices. In this study, damping coefficients for the single-degree-of-freedom system subjected to near-fault ground motions are calculated for a large range of periods and damping levels. The results indicate that damping coefficients proposed in design codes and previous studies, based primarily on far-field ground motion records, tend to not be conservative for near-fault seismic excitations. A new approach is recommended for the derivation of damping coefficients appropriate for engineering analysis and design in the immediate vicinity of the earthquake fault. This includes the normalization of the period axis with respect to the duration of the ground velocity pulses recorded in the near-fault region. The pulse duration is controlled by the rise time on the fault plane and scales directly with earthquake magnitude.