Robust attenuation relations for peak time-domain parameters of strong ground motions

Abstract

This study presents new attenuation models for the estimation of peak ground acceleration (PGA), peak ground velocity (PGV), and peak ground displacement (PGD) using a hybrid method coupling genetic programming and simulated annealing, called GP/SA. The PGA, PGV, and PGD were formulated in terms of earthquake magnitude, earthquake source to site distance, average shear-wave velocity, and faulting mechanisms. A worldwide database of strong ground motions released by Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center (PEER) was employed to establish the models. A traditional genetic programming analysis was performed to benchmark the proposed models. For more validity verification, the GP/SA models were employed to predict the ground-motion parameters of the Iranian plateau earthquakes. Sensitivity and parametric analyses were carried out and discussed. The results show that the GP/SA attenuation models can offer precise and efficient solutions for the prediction of estimates of the peak time-domain characteristics of strong ground motions. The performance of the proposed models is better than or comparable with the attenuation relationships found in the literature.