Evaluation of Ground Motion Modification Methodologies for Seismic Structural Damage

The selection of appropriate ground motions and reasonable modification are becoming increasingly critical in reliable prediction on seismic performance of structures. A widely used amplitude scaling approach is not sufficient for robust structural evaluation considering a site specific seismic hazard because only one spectral value is matched to the design spectrum typically at the structural fundamental period. Hence alternative approaches for ground motion selection and modifications have been suggested. However, there is no means to evaluate such methodologies yet. In this study, it is focused to describe the main questions resided in the amplitude scaling approach and to propose a regression model for structural damage as point of comparison. Spectrum compatible approach whose resulting spectrum matches the design spectrum at the entire range of the structural period is considered as alternative to be compared to the amplitude scaling approach. The design spectrum is generated according to ASCE7-05