A new spatial coherence model and analytical coefficients for multi-support response spectrum combination

In this paper, a new spatial coherence model of seismic ground motions is proposed by a fi tting procedure. The analytical expressions of modal combination (correlation) coeffi cients of structural response are developed for multi-support seismic excitations. The coeffi cients from both the numerical integration and analytical solutions are compared to verify the accuracy of the solutions. It is shown that the analytical expressions of numerical modal combination coeffi cients are of high accuracy. The results of random responses of an example bridge show that the analytical modal combination coeff icients developed in this paper are accurate enough to meet the requirements needed in practice. In addition, the computational effi ciency of the analytical solutions of the modal combination coeff icients is demonstrated by the response computation of the example bridge. It is found that the time required for the structural response analysis by using the analytical modal combination coeffi cients is less than 1/20 of that using numerical integral methods.