Characteristics of horizontal ground motion measures along principal directions

Ground motion records are often used to develop ground motion prediction equations (GMPEs) for a randomly oriented horizontal component, and to assess the principal directions of ground motions based on the Arias intensity tensor or the orientation of the major response axis. The former is needed for seismic hazard assessment, whereas the latter can be important for assessing structural responses under multi-directional excitations. However, a comprehensive investigation of the pseudo-spectral acceleration (PSA) and of GMPEs conditioned on different axes is currently lacking. This study investigates the principal directions of strong ground motions and their relation to the orientation of the major response axis, statistics of the PSA along the principal directions on the horizontal plane, and correlation of the PSA along the principal directions on the horizontal plane. For these, three sets of strong ground motion records, including intraplate California earthquakes, inslab Mexican earthquakes, and interface Mexican earthquakes, are used. The results indicate that one of the principal directions could be considered as quasi-vertical. By focusing on seismic excitations on the horizontal plane, the statistics of the angles between the major response axis and the major principal axis are obtained; GMPEs along the principal axes are provided and compared with those obtained for a randomly oriented horizontal component; and statistical analysis of residuals associated with GMPEs along the principal directions is carried out.