Can We Trust High-Frequency Content in Strong-Motion Database Signals? Impact of Housing, Coupling, and Installation Depth of Seismic Sensors

2020 ◽  
Vol 91 (4) ◽  
pp. 2192-2205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabrice Hollender ◽  
Zafeiria Roumelioti ◽  
Emeline Maufroy ◽  
Paola Traversa ◽  
Armand Mariscal
Keyword(s):  
Ground Motion ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Free Field ◽  
Strong Motion ◽  
Response Spectra ◽  
High Frequencies ◽  
Field Recording ◽  
Seismic Motion ◽  
Free Data ◽  
Installation Depth

Abstract Seismic hazard studies provide indicators of seismic motion that are expressed for “free-field,” that is, representative of the ground motion exactly at the free surface, without disturbances due to interactions between soil and buildings or other structures. Most of these studies are based on ground-motion prediction equations, which are, themselves, formulated to predict free-field motion, as they are derived from similarly free data. However, is this really the case? In this study, we use several examples to illustrate how small structures hosting permanent strong-motion stations (often anchored on small concrete slabs) generate soil–structure interaction effects that can amplify the high-frequency part of the earthquake signal (>10  Hz) by up to a factor of 2–3 for stations on soils. We also show that the installation depth of a station, even if very shallow (i.e., a few meters), can change the recorded response, mainly by deamplifying the signal in high frequencies (>10  Hz) by a factor up to 0.3. Such effects imply that there are actual differences between recorded and true free-field signals. Depending on the housing conditions, these effects can have significant impact on response spectra at high frequencies, and on measurements of the κ parameter. It is, thus, becoming clear that such effects should be taken into account in studies involving high-frequency seismic motion. To do so, scientists need a detailed description of the conditions of installation and housing of seismological and accelerometric stations, which often lacks from the metadata distributed through the various, commonly used web services. Increasing such information and facilitating the access to it would allow the identification of stations that are problematic and of those that are truly close to free-field recording conditions. In a subsequent step, it would be important to quantify the modification curve of the response of stations that experience such effects.

Concurrent Design Forces in Structures under Three-Component Orthotropic Seismic Excitation

2002 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Anastassiadis ◽  
I. E. Avramidis ◽  
P. Panetsos
Keyword(s):  
Ground Motion ◽  
Design Procedure ◽  
Strong Motion ◽  
Response Spectra ◽  
Concurrent Design ◽  
Motion Model ◽  
Specific Point ◽  
Extreme Stress ◽  
Seismic Motion

According to the model of Penzien and Watabe, the three translational ground motion components on a specific point of the ground are statistically noncorrelated along a well-defined orthogonal system of axes p, w, and v, whose orientation remains reasonably stable over time during the strong motion phase of an earthquake. This orthotropic ground motion is described by three generally independent response spectra Sa, Sb, and Sc, respectively. The paper presents an antiseismic design procedure for structures according to the above seismic motion model. This design includes a) determination of the critical orientation of the seismic input, i.e., the orientation that gives the largest response, b) calculation of the maximum and the minimum values of any response quantity, and c) application of either the Extreme Stress Method or the Extreme Force Method for determining the most unfavorable combinations of several stress resultants (or sectional forces) acting concurrently at a specified section of a structural member.

Effects of SSI on EPR™ In-Structure Response for a Rock Site: Coherent and Incoherent High Frequency Ground Motion

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
James J. Johnson ◽  
Oliver Schneider ◽  
Werner Schuetz ◽  
Philippe Monette ◽  
Alejandro P. Asfura
Keyword(s):  
Ground Motion ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Ground Motions ◽  
Free Field ◽  
Response Spectra ◽  
Frequency Content ◽  
Structure Response ◽  
Standard Design ◽  
Rock Site ◽  
High Frequency Content

Recently, probabilistic seismic hazard assessments (PSHAs) performed for hard sites world-wide have yielded uniform hazard response spectra (UHRS) with significant high frequency content, i.e., frequency content greater than 10 Hz. This high frequency content is frequently due to near-field relatively low magnitude events. It is well known that these high frequency ground motions are not damaging to ductile structures, systems, and components (SSCs). One method of addressing the effect of these high frequency ground motions on structure response is to take into account the incoherency of ground motion. Over the past 25 years, free-field ground motion has been recorded providing an adequate basis for the development of ground motion coherency functions necessary to assess the effect of incoherence on nuclear power plant structures. The subject of this study was the AREVA NP EPR™ (European Power Reactor) nuclear island (NI) standard design. The effect of incoherency of ground motion on in-structure response spectra (ISRS) was assessed for the NI founded on a stiff rock site and subjected to high frequency enhanced input for hard rock sites. The ISRS at numerous locations and directions in the structures were calculated and compared. SSI is shown to be an important phenomenon for structures founded on stiff sites and subjected to high frequency ground motions.

Nonlinear soil response in the vicinity of the Van Normal Complex following the 1994 Northridge, California, earthquake

1999 ◽  
Vol 89 (5) ◽  
pp. 1214-1231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanna Cultrera ◽  
David M. Boore ◽  
William B. Joyner ◽  
Christopher M. Dietel
Keyword(s):  
Ground Motion ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Free Field ◽  
Strong Motion ◽  
High Amplitude ◽  
Amplitude Dependence ◽  
Spectral Ratios ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Soil Response ◽  
Equivalent Linear

Abstract Ground-motion recording obtaineds at the Van Norman Complex from the 1994 Northridge, California, mainshock and its aftershocks constitute an excellent data set for the analysis of soil response as a function of ground-motion amplitude. We searched for nonlinear response by comparing the Fourier spectral ratios of two pairs of sites for ground motions of different levels, using data from permanent strong-motion recorders and from specially deployed portable instruments. We also compared the amplitude dependence of the observed ratios with the amplitude dependence of the theoretical ratios obtained from 1-D linear and 1-D equivalent-linear transfer functions, using recently published borehole velocity profiles at the sites to provide the low-strain material properties. One pair of sites was at the Jensen Filtration Plant (JFP); the other pair was the Rinaldi Receiving Station (RIN) and the Los Angeles Dam (LAD). Most of the analysis was concentrated on the motions at the Jensen sites. Portable seismometers were installed at the JFP to see if the motions inside the structures housing the strong-motion recorders differed from nearby free-field motions. We recorded seven small earthquakes and found that the high-frequency, low-amplitude motions in the administration building were about 0.3 of those outside the building. This means that the lack of high frequencies on the strong-motion recordings in the administration building relative to the generator building is not due solely to nonlinear soil effects. After taking into account the effects of the buildings, however, analysis of the suite of strong- and weak-motion recordings indicates that nonlinearity occurred at the JFP. As predicted by equivalent-linear analysis, the largest events (the mainshock and the 20 March 1994 aftershock) show a significant deamplification of the high-frequency motion relative to the weak motions from aftershocks occurring many months after the mainshock. The weak-motion aftershocks recorded within 12 hours of the mainshock, however, show a relative deamplification similar to that in the mainshock. The soil behavior may be a consequence of a pore pressure buildup during large-amplitude motion that was not dissipated until sometime later. The motions at (RIN) and (LAD) are from free-field sites. The comparison among spectral ratios of the mainshock, weak-motion coda waves of the mainshock, and an aftershock within ten minutes of the mainshock indicate that some nonlinearity occurred, presumably at (RIN) because it is the softer site. The spectral ratio for the mainshock is between that calculated for pure linear response and that calculated from the equivalent-linear method, using commonly used modulus reduction and damping ratio curves. In contrast to the Jensen sites, the ratio of motions soon after the high-amplitude portion of the mainshock differs from the ratio of the mainshock motions, indicating the mechanical properties of the soil returned to the low-strain values as the high-amplitude motion ended. This may indicate a type of nonlinear soil response different from that affecting motion at the Jensen administration building.

scholarly journals A Regionally Adaptable Ground-Motion Model for Fourier Amplitude Spectra of Shallow Crustal Earthquakes in Europe

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sreeram Reddy Kotha ◽  
Dino Bindi ◽  
Fabrice Cotton
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Ground Motion ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Prediction Models ◽  
Activity Index ◽  
Site Response ◽  
Strong Motion ◽  
Response Spectra ◽  
Motion Models ◽  
Ground Motion Models

Abstract Typical ground-motion models predict the response spectral ordinates (GMM-SA), which are the damped responses of a suite of single-degree-of-freedom oscillators. Response spectra represent the response of an idealized structure to input ground-motion, but not the physics of the actual ground-motion. To complement the regionally adaptable GMM-SA of Kotha et al. (2020), we introduce here a model capable of predicting Fourier amplitudes (GMM-FA); developed from the same Engineering Strong Motion (ESM) dataset for pan-Europe. This GMM-FA reveals the very high variability of high frequency ground-motions, which are completely masked in a GMM-SA. By maintaining the development strategies of GMM-FA identical to that of the GMM-SA, we are able to evaluate the physical meaning of the spatial variability of anelastic attenuation and source characteristics. We find that a fully data-driven geospatial index, Activity Index (AIx), correlates well with the spatial variability of these physical effects. AIx is a fuzzy combination of seismicity and crustal parameters, and can be used to adapt the attenuation and source non-ergodicity of the GMM-FA to regions and tectonic localities sparsely sampled in ESM. While AIx, and a few other parameters we touch upon, may help understand the spatial variability of high frequency attenuation and source effects, the high frequency site-response variability - dominating the overall aleatory variance - is yet unresolvable. With the rapid increase in quantity and quality of ground-motion datasets, we call for an upgrade of regionalization techniques, site-characterisation, and a paradigm shift to Fourier ground-motion models to complement the traditional response spectra prediction models.

Near-Field Ground Motion of the 2002 Denali Fault, Alaska, Earthquake Recorded at Pump Station 10

2004 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 597-615 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. L. Ellsworth ◽  
M. Celebi ◽  
J. R. Evans ◽  
E. G. Jensen ◽  
R. Kayen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ground Motion ◽  
Near Field ◽  
Free Field ◽  
Monitoring And Control ◽  
Peak Acceleration ◽  
Permanent Displacement ◽  
Soil Response ◽  
Denali Fault ◽  
Field Recording ◽  
Pump Station

A free-field recording of the Denali fault earthquake was obtained by the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company 3 km from the surface rupture of the Denali fault. The instrument, part of the monitoring and control system for the trans-Alaska pipeline, was located at Pump Station 10, approximately 85 km east of the epicenter. After correction for the measured instrument response, we recover a seismogram that includes a permanent displacement of 3.0 m. The recorded ground motion has relatively low peak acceleration (0.36 g) and very high peak velocity (180 cm/s). Nonlinear soil response may have reduced the peak acceleration to this 0.36 g value. Accelerations in excess of 0.1 g lasted for 10 s, with the most intense motion occurring during a 1.5-s interval when the rupture passed the site. The low acceleration and high velocity observed near the fault in this earthquake agree with observations from other recent large-magnitude earthquakes.

Lateral structure-foundation interaction of structures with base masses

1972 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 453-470
Author(s):  
R. J. Scavuzzo ◽  
D. D. Raftopoulos ◽  
J. L. Bailey
Keyword(s):  
Integral Equation ◽  
Free Field ◽  
Response Spectra ◽  
Elastic Half Space ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Transient Solution ◽  
Volterra Type ◽  
Seismic Motion ◽  
Lateral Structure ◽  
Inertia Forces

abstract The interaction of lateral inertia forces of an N-mass structure with a base mass and lateral seismic motion of the foundation is formulated as an integral equation of the Volterra type. Flexibility of the foundation is based on the transient solution of a two-dimensional elastic half-space. Interaction effects are evaluated by comparing the response spectra of the free-field motion to that of the foundation motion. Results show that changes in the response spectra are significant for heavy, stiff structures such as a reactor-containment vessel.

Engineering observations on ground motion at the Van Norman Complex after the 1994 Northridge earthquake

1996 ◽  
Vol 86 (1B) ◽  
pp. S333-S349 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Bardet ◽  
C. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Ground Motion ◽  
Earthquake Engineering ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Strong Motion ◽  
Response Spectra ◽  
Vertical Acceleration ◽  
Northridge Earthquake ◽  
Peak Acceleration ◽  
Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering ◽  
1994 Northridge Earthquake

Abstract During the 1994 Northridge earthquake, the Van Norman Complex yielded an unprecedented number of recordings with high acceleration, in the close proximity of the fault rupture. These strong-motion recordings exhibited the pulses of the main event. One station recorded the largest velocity ever instrumentally recorded (177 cm/sec), resulting from a 0.86 g peak acceleration with a low frequency. Throughout the complex, the horizontal accelerations reached peak values ranging from 0.56 to 1.0 g, except for the complex center, where the peak acceleration did not exceed 0.43 g. The vertical acceleration reached maximum peak values comparable with those of the horizontal acceleration. The acceleration response spectra in the longitudinal and transverse directions were significantly different. Such a difference, which is not yet well documented in the field of geotechnical earthquake engineering, indicates that the amplitude and frequency content of the ground motion was directionally dependent in the Van Norman Complex.

Seismic Qualification by Testing for Electrical and Active Mechanical Equipment to be Installed in Hard-Rock High Frequency Sites

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pei-Ying Chen ◽  
Ching Hang Ng
Keyword(s):  
Ground Motion ◽  
Seismic Design ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Hard Rock ◽  
Response Spectra ◽  
Nuclear Industry ◽  
Mechanical Equipment ◽  
Regulatory Requirements ◽  
Structure Response

All electric and active mechanical equipment important to safety must be seismically qualified by either analysis, testing, or a combination of both. The general requirements for seismic qualification of electric and active mechanical equipment in nuclear power plants are delineated in Appendix S to Title 10, Part 50, of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR Part 50), item 52.47(20) of 10 CFR 52.47, and Appendix A to 10 CFR Part 100. The staff at the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has recognized that the Certified Design Ground Motion may be exceeded by the site-specific ground motion. The exceedances are generally in the high-frequency range for the Central and Eastern US sites. For equipment seismic qualification consideration, the exceedances must be addressed at both the ground level and the floor level where the equipment is located. Thus, the in-structure response spectra at some locations may exceed those in-structure response spectra generated by the certified seismic design response spectra. The U.S. nuclear industry and the NRC have initiated activities to address this issue. Two scenarios that revealed themselves during the review activities of the design certification and combined license applications for new reactors will be expounded upon in the paper. In Case I, equipment seismic qualification has been approved for a certified design and equipment is to be installed at a hard-rock high frequency (HRHF) site with certified seismic design response spectra (CSDRS) exceeded by the Ground Motion Response Spectra (GMRS) of the hard-rock site. In Case II, equipment seismic qualification has not been approved for a design certification and there is an application with GMRS exceeding the not-yet-approved CSDRS. In the paper, the staff will begin the discussion with the regulatory requirements for seismic qualification of electric and mechanical equipment. The focus of the paper is to identify the staff concern and illustrate the resolution between the NRC staff and an applicant on the seismic qualification of equipment by testing, in particular for equipment to be installed in hard-rock high frequency sites, to meet the regulatory requirements.

scholarly journals A Procedure to Select Earthquake Time Histories for Deterministic Seismic Hazard Analysis: Case Studies of Major Cities in Taiwan

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duruo Huang ◽  
Wenqi Du
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Hazard ◽  
Ground Motion ◽  
Ground Surface ◽  
Strong Motion ◽  
Response Spectra ◽  
Dynamic Responses ◽  
Motion Time ◽  
Acceleration Time Histories ◽  
Time Histories ◽  
Deterministic Seismic Hazard

Abstract. In performance-based seismic design, ground-motion time histories are needed for analyzing dynamic responses of nonlinear structural systems. However, the number of strong-motion data at design level is often limited. In order to analyze seismic performance of structures, ground-motion time histories need to be either selected from recorded strong-motion database, or numerically simulated using stochastic approaches. In this paper, a detailed procedure to select proper acceleration time histories from the Next Generation Attenuation (NGA) database for several cities in Taiwan is presented. Target response spectra are initially determined based on a local ground motion prediction equation under representative deterministic seismic hazard analyses. Then several suites of ground motions are selected for these cities using the Design Ground Motion Library (DGML), a recently proposed interactive ground-motion selection tool. The selected time histories are representatives of the regional seismic hazard, and should be beneficial to earthquake studies when comprehensive seismic hazard assessments and site investigations are yet available. Note that this method is also applicable to site-specific motion selections with the target spectra near the ground surface considering the site effect.

Spatial Variability of Source and Attenuation Characteristics in Large Ground-Motion Datasets

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sreeram Reddy Kotha ◽  
Graeme Weatherill ◽  
Dino Bindi ◽  
Fabrice Cotton
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Ground Motion ◽  
Ground Motions ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Strong Motion ◽  
Response Spectra ◽  
Large Datasets ◽  
Earthquake Scenarios ◽  
Crustal Earthquakes ◽  
Geographical Regions

<p>Ground-Motion Models (GMMs) characterize the random distributions of ground-motions for a combination of earthquake source, wave travel-path, and the effected site’s geological properties. Typically, GMMs are regressed over a compendium of strong ground-motion recordings collected from several earthquakes recorded at multiple sites scattered across a variety of geographical regions. The necessity of compiling such large datasets is to expand the range of magnitude, distance, and site-types; in order to regress a GMM capable of predicting realistic ground-motions for rare earthquake scenarios, e.g. large magnitudes at short distances from a reference rock site. The European Strong-Motion (ESM) dataset is one such compendium of observations from a few hundred shallow crustal earthquakes recorded at a several hundred seismic stations in Europe and Middle-East.</p><p>We developed new GMMs from the ESM dataset, capable of predicting both the response spectra and Fourier spectra in a broadband of periods and frequencies, respectively. However, given the clear tectonic and geological diversity of the data, possible regional and site-specific differences in observed ground-motions needed to be quantified; whilst also considering the possible contamination of data from outliers. Quantified regional differences indicate that high-frequency ground-motions attenuate faster with distance in Italy compared to the rest of Europe, as well as systematically weaker ground-motions from central Italian earthquakes. In addition, residual analyses evidence anisotropic attenuation of low frequency ground-motions, imitating the pattern of shear-wave energy radiation. With increasing spatial variability of ground-motion data, the GMM prediction variability apparently increases. Hence, robust mixed-effects regressions and residual analyses are employed to relax the ergodic assumption.</p><p>Large datasets, such as the ESM, NGA-West2, and from KiK-Net, provide ample opportunity to identify and evaluate the previously hypothesized event-to-event, region-to-region, and site-to-site differences in ground-motions. With the appropriate statistical methods, these variabilities can be quantified and applied in seismic hazard and risk predictions. We intend to present the new GMMs: their development, performance and applicability, prospective improvements and research needs.</p>

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