Evaluation of Ground Motion Scaling Methods for Nonlinear Analysis of Structural Systems

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The broad research objective of this award is to assess and develop earthquake ground motion selection and modification (i.e., scaling) methods for the nonlinear response history analysis of building structures. To achieve this objective, the research will: (1) conduct a large number of small-scale shake-table experiments of re-configurable nonlinear multi-degree-of-freedom structural models; (2) investigate how different site conditions, hazard levels, and structure characteristics affect the accuracy and efficiency of the scaling methods; and (3) use the experimental ?benchmark? results to develop seismic design guidelines and procedures for structures with regular and irregular configurations. The shake-table tests will form the first experimental study on nonlinear dynamic response considering a wide range of building characteristics and ground motions. These deliverables will not only provide the evidence needed to develop consensus on how an appropriate suite of records should be selected and scaled in seismic design, but also establish the minimum number of records needed to retain accuracy in the median engineering demand estimates with minimum dispersion.If successful, the project will represent a major advancement on the design of reliable earthquake-resistant buildings with ancillary contributions to engineering seismology, thus providing direct service to society by mitigating loss of life and property from future seismic events. Prominent practicing engineers and relevant professional organizations will be engaged to ensure rapid dissemination of the results. The workforce impact will include one Ph.D. student and several undergraduates, strongly focusing on underrepresented groups. The project team will include researchers from a predominately-undergraduate institution (Cal State - Sacramento). The researchers will also utilize the project to educate future engineers through K12 activities. To further enhance the broader impacts from the project, a new experiential learning module will be developed to demonstrate basic concepts in earthquake engineering using smaller versions of the nonlinear model structures on a portable shake-table.