Effects of rotation motions on strong-motion data

Rotation motion and its effects on strong-motion data, in most cases, are much smaller than that of translational motion and have been ignored in most analyses of strong-motion data. However, recent observations from near-fault and/or extreme large ground motions suggest that these effects might be underestimated and quantitative analyses seem to be necessary for improving our understating of these effects. Rotation motion-related effects include centrifugal acceleration, the effects of gravity and effects of the rotation frame. Detailed analyses of these effects based on the observed data are unavailable in the literature. In this study, we develop a numerical algorithm for estimating the effects of rotational motion on the strong-motion data using a set of six-component ground motions and apply it to a set of rotation rate-strong motion velocity data. The data were recorded during a magnitude 6.9 earthquake. The peak value of the derived acceleration and rotation rate of this dataset are about 186 cm/s/s and 0.0026 rad/s. Numerical analyses of data gives time histories of these rotational motion-related effects. Our results show that all the rotation angles are less than 0.01°. The maximum centrifugal acceleration, effect from gravity and effect of the rotation frame are about 0.03 and 0.14 cm/s/s, respectively. Both these two effects are much smaller than the peak acceleration 186 cm/s/s. This result might have been expected because our data are not near-field and wave motions are expected to be nearly plane waves. However, it is worth noticing that the centrifugal acceleration is underestimated and a small rotational effect can cause large waveform difference in acceleration data. The waveform difference before and after the correction for rotational motion can reach 16 cm/s/s (about 10 %).     

Empirical models for predicting lateral spreading considering the effect of regional seismicity

A revised empirical model has been developed for predicting liquefaction-induced lateral spreading displacement (LD) as a function of both response spectral acceleration derived from strong-motion atte...     

A note on the M w 6.3 earthquake in Iceland on 29 May 2008 at 15:45 UTC

This preliminary study aims to investigate a M _w 6.3 earthquake that occurred in South Iceland on Thursday 29 May 2008 at 15:45 UTC. The epicentre was in the Olfus District between the towns of Selfoss and Hveragerdi. This study examines the data recorded and the damage observed immediately after the event. Horizontal accelerations of up to 80%g were recorded in the epicentral region and there is visual evidence that the vertical acceleration exceeded 1 g. The PGA data is compared to a ground motion estimation model developed for the South Iceland earthquakes in June 2000. In general the basic properties of this event are found to be similar to the characteristics of the South Iceland earthquakes in June 2000. The duration of strong-motion is short and the intensity attenuates rapidly with increasing distance. The earthquake action resisted by buildings in the near fault area is inspected through evaluation of elastic as well as inelastic response spectra. The vast majority of structures seemed to withstand the strong-motion fairly competently and without significant visual damage due firstly to the low-rise, predominantly reinforced concrete or timber, style of buildings. Secondly, the short duration of strong-motion contributed to the endurance of structures.     

Revelations from a single strong-motion record retrieved during the 27 June 1998 Adana (Turkey) earthquake

During the 27 June 1998 Adana (Turkey) earthquake, only one strong-motion record was retrieved in the region where the most damage occurred. This single record from the station in Ceyhan, approximately 15 km from the epicenter of that earthquake, exhibits characteristics that are related to the dominant frequencies of the ground and structures.

The purpose of this paper is to explain the causes of the damage as inferred from both field observations and the characteristics of a single strong-motion record retrieved from the immediate epicentral area. In the town of Ceyhan there was considerable but selective damage to a significant number of mid-rise (7–12 stories high) buildings. The strong-motion record exhibits dominant frequencies that are typically similar for the mid-rise building structures. This is further supported by spectral ratios derived using Nakamura's method [QR of RTRI, 30 (1989) 25] that facilitates computation of a spectral ratio from a single tri-axial record as the ratio of amplitude spectrum of horizontal component to that of the vertical component [R=H(f)/V(f)]. The correlation between the damage and the characteristics exhibited from the single strong-motion record is remarkable.

Although deficient construction practices played a significant role in the extent of damage to the mid-rise buildings, it is clear that site resonance also contributed to the detrimental fate of most of the mid-rise buildings. Therefore, even a single record can be useful to explain the effect of site resonance on building response and performance. Such information can be very useful for developing zonation criteria in similar alluvial valleys.     

Influence of parameters selection in Chebyshev filters on the strong motion data processing

This contribution discusses the application of Chebyshev Type I filter for processing real earthquake records. Consideration is given to the effects of filtering parameters (passband amplitude ripple and order of the filter) on the time series, strong-motion parameters, Fourier Amplitude Spectrum of acceleration, and elastic displacement response spectra. Time histories of five earthquakes with different moment magnitudes have been examined (from stations located close to the epicenters). Data processing is based on application of bandpass Chebyshev filtering over frequency range with substantial signal to noise ratio (level of 3 or approximately 3 dB). Applying different filters, we have monitored several important strong-motion parameters: peak values of acceleration, velocity, and displacement; Arias intensity, acceleration/velocity spectrum intensity, significant duration, etc. Some new results and conclusions concerning the influence of Chebyshev filter in data processing of records have been summarized. The graphical and numerical outcomes obtained, as well as the comparison with a Butterworth causal filter, are included in the work. The results could be potentially useful to engineering seismologists who need to evaluate and better understand the merits of this type of filtering for strong-motion data processing.     

A study on feasibility of SI for identification of earthquake damages in Taiwan

Using the actual damage data of the strong earthquakes in Taiwan, the effectiveness of the earthquake risk indices, namely, peak ground acceleration (PGA) and spectral intensity (SI), is verified. PGA and Housner's [Housner GW. Spectrum intensity of strong-motion earthquakes. In: Proceedings of symposium on earthquakes and blast effects on structures. EERI, UCLA; 1952] definition of SI are directly compared. A three-parameter spectral intensity system with spectral intensities SI_a, SI_v, and SI_d in the acceleration, velocity, and displacement regions, respectively, is discussed. Here, the effectiveness of SI, SI_a, SI_v, and SI_d has been compared by using the available earthquake-damage data in Taiwan. Three period ranges, namely, 0.1–0.6, 0.6–1.6, and 1.6–3.0 s were used for structures of 1–6 stories, 7–20 stories, and 21 and more stories, respectively. The results indicate that the three-parameter system is a good risk index of the damage potential of earthquakes.     

The Influence of Strong-Motion Duration on the Seismic Response of Masonry Structures

The influence of strong-motion duration on the response of saturated soils is clearly recognised and accounted for in the assessment of liquefaction potential. The degree to which duration of shaking influences damage to structures, however, remains a topic of debate, with resolution of the issue complicated by the variety of definitions of duration and the variety of structural behaviours, as well as the difficulty of decoupling the specific effect of duration from other features of the ground motion. A suite of seven structural models with strength and stiffness degrading characteristics, designed to reflect the seismic behaviour of masonry structures commonly encountered in many parts of Europe, are analysed using a suite of almost 500 strong-motion accelerograms. Correlations are explored between the damage, measured in terms of the strength degradation, and a range of strong-motion parameters, demonstrating that Arias intensity and spectral acceleration at the fundamental initial period of the structure are both reasonably good damage indicators for such structures. A significantly improved correlation is obtained by using the elastic spectral accelerations averaged over a period range from the initial period of the structure to a value approximately three times greater, reflecting the stiffness degradation as the shaking progresses. The scatter in the correlation is shown to be partially explained by differences in duration. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Retrospective Prediction of Macroseismic Intensities Using Strong Ground Motion Simulation: The Case of the 1978 Thessaloniki (Greece) Earthquake (M6.5)

The densely populated city of Thessaloniki (Northern Greece) is situated in~the vicinity of active seismic faults, capable of producing moderate to strong earthquakes. The city has been severely affected by such events several times during the last 15 centuries. The most recent event occurred on 20 June 1978 (M6.5) in the Mygdonian graben, with an epicentral distance of about 30 km, causing extended damage in the city, with macroseismic intensities between MSK V+ and VIII+. The majority of buildings affected by the earthquake were of reinforced-concrete typology, typical to many southern European metropolitan areas. The source properties of the normal-faulting causative event and the source-to-city propagation path are well known from previous studies. The soil structure under the metropolitan area of Thessaloniki is assigned NEHRP categories B, C, D on the basis of geotechnical and geologic information and single-station ambient-noise measurements. A finite source model and various rupture scenarios of the June 1978 earthquake are used to perform forward stochastic modeling of strong ground motion in terms of peak ground and spectral acceleration. Rock motion is assessed under the city and it is transferred to the surface in accordance with the respective soil category. A GIS tool is employed to compare the estimated strong-motion parameters with the observed detailed damage pattern induced by the 1978 earthquake. For selected natural periods, a satisfactory correlation is established between macroseismic intensity and peak ground and spectral acceleration, thus encouraging the application of stochastic modeling for generating realistic ground-shaking scenarios in metropolitan areas.     

Seismic hazard assessment and design spectra for the Kozani-Grevena region (Greece) after the earthquake of May 13, 1995

The Kozani-Grevena (Greece) destructive earthquake occurred in a region of low seismicity. A considerable amount of strong-motion data was acquired from the permanent strong motion network of the Institute of Engineering Scismology and Earthquake Engineering (ITSAK) as well as from a temporary one installed after the earthquake. On the basis of this data set as well as on the observed macroseismic intensities, local attenuation relations for peak ground acceleration and velocity are proposed. A posteriori seismic hazard analysis is attempted for the affected and surrounding areas in terms of peak ground acceleration, velocity, bracketed duration and spectral acceleration. The analysis shows that the event of May 13, 1995 can be characterized as one with a mean return period of 500 to 1000 years. Relying on the observed spectral-acceleration amplification factors and the expected peak ground acceleration for mean return period of 500 years, region-specific elastic design spectra for the buildings of the Kozani and Grevena prefectures are proposed.     

Attenuation relations of Arias intensity based on the Chi-Chi Taiwan earthquake data

This paper presents a derivation of attenuation relations of Arias intensity for various site conditions based on the strong-motion data recorded in the 1999 Chi-Chi Taiwan earthquake. The data are from the mainshock and three large aftershocks with stations in the footwall area and in the area away from the fault. At each station, Arias intensity is computed from two horizontal acceleration time histories. The Arias intensity data are separated into four groups according to site classes assigned to recording stations. For each site class, the attenuation relation of Arias intensity is derived using a two-step regression analysis method. The attenuation relations established in this study can be used to estimate Arias intensity from a rupture of a thrust fault for sites in the footwall area or in the area away from the fault.     

汶川地震强余震场地非线性反应

采用汶川地震强余震26个强震动台站记录,基于H/V谱比法,计算台站场地的强、弱震作用下场地卓越频率之比R_(fp)和体现强、弱震作用下场地H/V谱比曲线差异程度的DNL,进而识别并分析场地非线性反应特征。结果显示,R_(fp)、DNL与PGA之间存在显著相关性;其中10个台站出现明显的场地非线性反应特征;大部分台站发生场地非线性反应的PGA阈值为100 cm/s~2,部分为50 cm/s~2;实例证明,因某些台站不易通过H/V谱比法识别场地卓越频率,因此采用R_(fp)识别场地非线性反应具有一定局限性。     

强震动观测无人值守信息管理自动化

随着中国“数字地震观测网络”项目的启动,中国强震动观测网络将新增大量先进的数字化、网络地震动记录仪,该类型仪器具备大存储容量、自动震动触发、自动报警,本地串口通讯、远程Modem通讯、远程TCP/IP网络通讯等功能,这些先进功能为强震动数据记录、存储、强震动记录以及相关地震信息自动传输创建了硬件基础.新增的大量强震动观测设备,使得强震台网的密度进一步加大,因此可利用的强震动观测数据大大增加,但目前中国的强震观测网络无法及时的收集、分析、处理这些海量数据.而随着国家级、区域级台网中心的进一步扩建、新建,监控中心网络硬件设备、软件齐全,通讯网络大大加强,也使得大数据分析、处理、传输成为可能,在此基础上建立强震动观测无人值守信息管理自动化成为一种可能.并且随着该自动化系统的运行,积累的强震观测记录也可建立强震观测数据仓库,并在数据仓库的基础进一步建立强震分析数据挖掘方法.     

Damage to residential buildings in Hveragerði during the 2008 Ölfus Earthquake: simulated and surveyed results

This study analyses the performance of residential buildings in the town of Hveragerði in South Iceland during the 29 May 2008 Mw 6.3 Ölfus Earthquake. The earthquake occurred very close to the town, approximately 3–4 km from it. Ground shaking caused by the earthquake was recorded by a dense strong-motion array in the town. The array provided high-quality three-component ground acceleration data which is used to quantify a hazard scenario. In addition, surveys conducted in the town in the aftermath of the earthquake have provided information on macroseismic intensity at various locations in the town. Detailed information regarding the building stock in the town is collected, and their seismic vulnerability models are created by using building damage data obtained from the June 2000 South Iceland earthquakes. Damage to buildings are then simulated by using the scenario hazard and vulnerability models. Damage estimates were also obtained by conducting a survey. Simulated damage based on the scenario macroseismic intensity is found to be similar to damage estimated from survey data. The buildings performed very well during the earthquake—damage suffered was only 5 % of the insured value on the average. Correlation between actual damage and recorded ground-motion parameters is found to be statistically insignificant. No significant correlation of damage was observed, even with macroseismic intensity. Whereas significant correlation was observed between peak ground velocity and macroseismic intensity, neither of them appear to be good indicators of damage to buildings in the study area. This lack of correlation is partly due to good seismic capacity of buildings and partly due to the ordinal nature of macroseismic intensity scale. Consistent with experience from many past earthquakes, the survey results indicate that seismic risk in South Iceland is not so much due to collapse of buildings but rather due to damage to non-structural components and building contents.     

Correlation properties of integral ground-motion intensity measures from Italian strong-motion records

This study investigates the correlation properties of integral ground-motion intensity measures (IMs) from Italian strong-motion records. The considered integral IMs include 5–95% significant duration, Housner intensity, cumulative absolute velocity, and Arias intensity. Both IM spatial correlation and the correlation between different integral and amplitude-based IMs (i.e., cross-IM correlation) are addressed in this study. To this aim, a new Italian ground-motion model (GMM) with spatial correlation for integral IMs is first introduced. Based on the newly developed GMM, the empirical correlation coefficients from interevent and intraevent residuals are investigated and various analytical correlation models between integral IMs and amplitude-based IMs are proposed. The effective range parameter representing spatial correlation properties and the trend in the cross-IM correlations are compared with existing models in the literature. The variability of the effective range parameters with respect to event-specific features is also discussed. Modeling ground-motion spatial and cross-IM correlations is an important step in seismic hazard and risk assessment of spatially distributed systems. Investigating region-specific correlation properties based on Italian strong-motion records is of special interest as several correlation models have been developed based on global datasets, often lacking earthquakes in extensional regions such as Italy.     

The ITalian ACcelerometric Archive (ITACA): processing of strong-motion data

The Italian strong-motion database was created during a joint project between Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV, Italian Institute for Geophysics and Vulcanology) and Dipartimento della Protezione Civile (DPC, Italian Civil Protection). The aim of the project was the collection, homogenization and distribution of strong motion data acquired in Italy in the period 1972–2004 by different institutions, namely Ente Nazionale per l’Energia Elettrica (ENEL, Italian electricity company), Ente per le Nuove tecnologie, l’Energia e l’Ambiente (ENEA, Italian energy and environment organization) and DPC. Recently the strong-motion data relative to the 23th December 2009, Parma (Mw = 5.4 and Mw = 4.9) and to the April 2009 L’Aquila sequences (13 earthquakes with 4.1 ≤ Mw ≤ 6.3) were included in the Italian Accelerometric Archive (ITACA) database (beta release). The database contains 7,038 waveforms from analog and digital instruments, generated by 1.019 earthquakes with magnitude up to 6.9 and can be accessed on-line at the web site . The strong motion data are provided in the unprocessed and processed versions. This article describes the steps followed to process the acceleration time series recorded by analogue and digital instruments. The procedures implemented involve: baseline removal, instrumental correction, band pass filtering with acausal filters, integration of the corrected acceleration in order to obtain velocity and displacement waveforms, computation of acceleration response spectra and strong motion parameters. This procedure is applied to each accelerogram and it is realised to preserve the low frequency content of the records.     

与观测方向无关的水平地震动参数计算方法

强震动记录的使用通常不考虑观测方向对于水平地震动参数计算的影响。文中以2008年汶川Ms8.0级地震中绵竹清平台获取的强震动记录为研究对象,对记录进行水平向旋转以模拟观测方向的变化,分析水平向峰值加速度PGA、峰值速度PGV、相对持时DR、绝对持时DA及谱加速度PSA随观测方向的变化情况。结果表明,PGA、PGV及PSA的计算较大依赖于观测方向,而DR和DA则受观测方向影响较小。为此文中提出了一种与观测方向无关的水平地震动参数计算方法,对于计算诸如PGA、PGV等与周期无关的地震动参数时不考虑周期独立;而对于计算诸如PSA等与周期有关的地震动参数时考虑周期独立。     

Ground-motion prediction equations (GMPEs) for inelastic response and structural behaviour factors

The objective of this paper is to present ground-motion prediction equations describing constant-ductility inelastic spectral ordinates and structural behaviour factors. These equations are intended for application within the framework of Eurocode 8. Most of the strong-motion data used in the present work is obtained from the ISESD (Internet Site for European Strong-motion Data) databank. Present analysis includes ground motion records from significant Icelandic earthquakes, which are augmented by records obtained from continental Europe and the Middle East. In all cases the selected ground motion records are generated during shallow earthquakes within a distance of 100 km from the recording station. The classification of site conditions in the present work is based on the Eurocode 8 definition.     

A new instrumental measure of epicentral shaking intensity in Western China

We define here a new measure of epicentral shaking intensity (modified spectrum intensity), which we derive from strong motion instrumental data. This new metric is similar to Housner’s spectrum intensity, with the caveat that we modify its numerical value by evaluating the predominant period of spectral acceleration and the site characteristics of each strong-motion station. We find that the modified spectrum intensity thus calculated is of higher reliability than peak ground acceleration, peak ground velocity, or Housner’s spectrum intensity in instrumental seismic intensity determination, and it offers a superior method to evaluate macro-seismic intensity distribution soon after a destructive earthquake in Western China.     

A strong motion network in northern Italy: detection capabilities and first analysis

The necessity of a dense network in Northern Italy started from the lack of available data after the occurrence of the 24th November 2004, Ml 5.2, Salò earthquake. Since 2006, many efforts have been made by the INGV (Italian National Institute for Geophysic and Vulcanology), Department of Milano-Pavia (hereinafter INGV MI-PV), to improve the strong-motion monitoring of the Northern Italy regions. This activity led to the installation of a strong-motion network composed by 20 accelerometers, 4 coupled with 20-bits Lennartz Mars88 recorders, 12 coupled with 24-bits Reftek 130 recorders and 4 coupled with 24-bits Gaia2 recorders. The network allow us to reduce, in the area under study, the average inter-distances between strong-motion stations from about 40 km (at November 2004) to 15 km. At present the network includes nine 6-channels stations where velocity sensors work together the strong-motion ones. The data transmission is assured by modem-gsm, with the exception of four stations that send data in real time through a TCP/IP protocol. In order to evaluate different site responses, the stations have been installed both in free field and near (or inside) public buildings, located in the center of small villages. From June 2006 to December 2008 a dataset of 94 events with local magnitude range from 0.7 to 5.1 has been collected. An ad hoc data-processing system have been created in order to provide, after each recorded event, engineering parameters such as peak ground acceleration (PGA) and velocity (PGV), response spectra (SA and PSV), Arias and Housner intensities. Data dissemination is achieved through the web site , while the waveforms are distributed through the Italian strong motion database ().     

Housner谱烈度的一种快速近似算法

Housner谱烈度及修正谱烈度作为基于加速度记录时程直接得到的地震动强度参数,与建筑结构破坏及地震宏观烈度存在较高的相关性,是可靠的地震仪器烈度物理参数指标。然而,相对于地面加速度峰值、地面速度峰值等地震动峰值参数,三分量加速度记录对应的谱烈度计算过程较为复杂,耗时相对较长,影响了利用谱烈度确定地震仪器烈度的时效性。基于对强震动加速度记录的统计分析,本文提出了谱烈度的快速近似算法,仅计算4个方向上的谱烈度值,采用其中3点作圆即可获得水平面内谱烈度迹线的近似最大值,使计算速度提高了45倍,且保持了谱烈度作为地震仪器烈度物理指标的精度。利用在汶川M_S 8.0地震等386次M_S > 3.0地震中获取的2701组强震动加速度记录,经可靠性检验,结果表明所提出的Housner谱烈度快速近似算法的计算误差在±4.5%以内,可以同时满足地震仪器烈度速报的可靠性和时效性需求。