DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
SIMQKE
‘A PROGRAM FOR ARTIFICIAL MOTION GENERATION
USERS'S MANUAL AND DOCUMENTATION
A Program Distributed by
NISEE/Computer Applications
November 1976Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Department of Civil Engineering
Constructed Facilities Division
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139
Evaluation of Seismic Safety of Buildings
Report No. 2
SIMULATED EARTHQUAKE MOTIONS COMPATIBLE
WITH PRESCRIBED RESPONSE SPECTRA
by
Dario A. Gasparini
and
Erik H. Vanmarcke
January, 1976
Sponsored by National Science Foundation
Division of Advanced Environmental Research
and Technology
Grant ATA 74-06935
Publication No. R76-4 Order No. 527ABSTRACT
Alternate methodologies for generation of simulated earthquakes
are briefly reviewed. The method of superposition of sine waves is
discussed in detail. Theoretical relationships existing between the
ground acceleration spectral density function and the response spectrum
are derived. The program SIMQKE, which can generate response spectrum -
compatible artificial motions, is listed and explained. Properties of
resultant simulated motions are presented and their use in seismic
design is discussed.PREFACE
This is one of a series of reports prepared under Grant ATA 74-06935
from the National Science Foundation on the “Evaluation of Seismic Safety
of Buildings." The purpose of this project is to evaluate the effective-
ness of the total seismic design process, which consists of steps beginning
with seismic risk analysis through dynamic analysis and the design of struc-
tural components. The project seeks to answer the question: "Given a set
of procedures for these steps, what is the actual degree of protection
against earthquake damage provided?" Alternative methods of analysis and
design are being considered. Specifically, these alternatives are built
around three methods of dynamic analysis: (1) time-history analysis, (2)
response spectrum modal analysis, and (3) random vibration analysis.
The formal reports produced thus far are:
1. Arnold, Peter, Vanmarcke, Erik H., and Gazetas, George, "Frequency
Content of Ground Motions during the 1971 San Fernando Earthquake,"
M.I.T. Department of Civil Engineering Research Report R76-3, Order
No. 526, January 1976.
2. Gasparini, Dario A. and Vanmarcke, Erik H., "Simulated Earthquake
Motions Compatible with Prescribed Response Spectra," M.I.T. Depart-
ment of Civil Engineering Research Report R76-4, Order No. 527,
January 1976.
3. Vanmarcke, Erik H., Biggs, J.M., Frank, Robert, Gasparini, Dario,
Gazetas, George, Arnold, Peter, and Luyties, William, "Comparison
of Seismic Analysis Procedures for Elastic Multi-degree Systems,"
M.I.T. Department of Civil Engineering Research Report R76-5, Order
No. 528, January 1976.
4. Frank, Robert, Anagnostopoulos, Stavros, Biggs, J.M., and Vanmarcke,
Erik H., “Variability of Inelastic Structural Response Due to Real
and Artificial Ground Motions," M.I.T. Department of Civil Engineering
Research Report R76-6, Order No. 529, January 1976.
These reports are based upon a series of Internal Study Reports which
were prepared during the course of the work. Those prepared to date are:
1. Arnold, Peter, "The Influence of Site Azimuth and Local Soil Condi-
tions on Earthquake Ground Motion Spectra," January 1975.10.
.
12.
Arnold, Peter, "Structural Response to Earthquake Ground Motions by
Random Vibrations," January 1975.
Gasparini, Dario, "SIMQKE" A Program for Artificial Motion Genera-
tion," January 1975.
Frank, Robert and Gasparini, Dario, “Evaluation of Seismic Safety
of Buildings: Progress Report on Statistical Studies of Responses
of MDOF Systems to Real and Artificial Ground Motion,” January 1975.
Gazetas, George, "Study of the Effect of Local Soil Conditions on
‘the San Fernando Earthquake Response Spectra, Using Regression
Analysis," January 1975.
Frank, Robert, "A Statistical Study on the Nonlinear Response of
MDOF Systems to Real and Artificial Earthquake Ground Motions,”
August 1975.
Frank, Robert, "A Study of the ‘Effective Period’ Change for SDOF
Systems Responding Inelastically to a Sinusoidal Base Motion,”
August 1975.
Frank, Robert, “A Statistical Study of the Response Spectra of
‘the 39 Real Earthquake Records," August 1975.
Gazetas, George and Vanmarcke, Erik H., "Evaluation of Random
Vibration Analysis of Elastic MDOF Systems," August 1975.
Gasparini, Dario, "Some Parametric Studies Using the Earthquake
Simulation Program SIMQKE," August 1975.
Frank, Robert, "A Study on the Effect of the Distribution of
Stiffness on the Response, Elastic and Inelastic, of MDOF Systems
to Real and Artificial Earthquake Motions," September 1975.
Frank, Robert, "A Study on the Effect of the Motion Intensity on
the Nonlinear Response of MDOF Systems," September 1975.
The project is supervised by Professors John M. Biggs and Erik H.
Vanmarcke of the Civil Engineering Department. They have been assisted
by Dr. Stavros Anagnostopoulos, a’ Research Associate in the Department.
The research assistants on the project have been Peter Arnold, George
Gazetas, Dario Gasparini, Robert Frank, William Luyties, and Richard
Haviland.5.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page
Abstract
Preface
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Random Vibration Based - Prediction of Response Spectra
1.1 Moments of Spectral Density Functions
1.2. Stationary Response Variance
1.3. Transient Response Variance
1.4 Prediction of Maximum Response
2. The Program SIMQKE and Properties of Simulated
Earthquakes
2.1 Artificial Motion Generation Procedure
2.2 Generation of Power Spectral Density Functions
From Smooth Target Spectra
2.3. Improving Response Spectral Matches
2.4 Properties of Generated Motions
Accelerograms and Peak Accelerations
Response Spectra
Spectral Density Functions
3. Parametric Studies Using the Program SINQKE
3.1 Effect of Smoothing Cycles
3.2 Effect of Duration on G(w) and Sy
3.3. Variation of G(w) Derived From a Typical Set of
Smooth Design Spectra
‘Summary and Conclusions
References
List of Figures and Tables
Page
1
2
3
5
3B
SRR S
a
4a
43
47
58
61
64INTRODUCTION
This report documents the algorithms and capabilities of the
earthquake simulation program SIMQKE. As an introduction, motivations
for earthquake simulation and alternate methodologies are briefly ex-
plored. Theoretical developments which are the basis of the algorithms
used by SIMQKE are presented next. Finally, the properties of the gener-
ated earthquakes and parametric studies utilizing the program are reported.
The program itself and a brief user's manual are appended.
The limitations and paucity of recorded accelerograms together with
the widespread use of time-history dynamic analysis for obtaining structural
and secondary systems' response are the primary motivations for the develop-
ment of simulation capabilities. Individual real earthquake records are
limited in the sense that they are conditional on a single realization of
a set of random parameters (magnitude, focal depth, attenuation character-
istics, frequency content, duration, etc.), a realization that will likely
never occur again and that may not be satisfactory for design purposes.
For example, Jennings, Housner and Tsai (19) noted that a significant gap
in the present day collection of accelerograms is that the shaking in the
vicinity of the causative fault in a truly great (Richter Magnitude 8)
earthquake has never been recorded. Their objective was, then, to pre-
dict and simulate such anearthquake. Similarly, Hou's (15) methodology
had such parameters as magnitude and focal distance as input. His clearly
stated objective was to predict likely motions for particular sites.
From the above needs and Housner's recognition (16) of an earth-
quake as a transient stochastic process, numerous mathematical models have
been proposed and are used. References (15) and (19) give brief historiesof simulation techniques.
The intent herein is to focus on one commonly used method of numerical
simulation, the one based on the fact that any periodic function can be
expanded into a series of sinusoidal waves:
n
x(t) = TA; sin(w,t + 6;) a
art ‘
A, is the amplitude and 4, is the phase angle of the ith contributing
sinusoid. By fixing an array of amplitudes and then generating different
arrays of phase angles, different motions which are similar in general
appearance (i.e., in frequency content) but different in the "details",
can be generated. The computer uses a "random number generator" subroutine
to produce strings of phase angles with a uniform distribution in the range
between 0 and 2r.
The total power of the steady state motion, x(t) is J (A%/2).
Assume now that the frequencies u, in Equation 1 are chosen to Iie at equal
intervals du, Figure 1 shows @ function G(w) whose value at w, is equel to
A;/2hw so that G(w,)Aw =A;/2. Allowing the nunber of sinusoids in the
motion to become very large, the total power will become equal to the area
under the continuous curve G(w), which is in effect the spectral density
function. Formal definitions of G(w) can be found in many textbooks (Cran-
dal] and Mark, 1963; Y.K. Lin, 1970). G(w) expresses the relative importance
(i.e., the relative contribution to the total power) of sinusoids with fre-
quencies within some specified band of frequencies. When G(w) is narrowly
centered around a single frequency, then Equation 1 will generate nearly
sinusoidal functions as shown in Figure 2a. On the other hand, if the
spectral density function is nearly constant over a wide band of frequencies,components with widely different frequencies will compete to contribute
equally to the motion intensity, and the resulting motions will resemble
portions of earthquake records, as illustrated in Figure 2b. Of course,
the total power and the relative frequency content of the motions produced
by using Equation 1 do not vary with time. To similate in part the transient
character of real earthquakes, the stationary motions, x(t), are usually
multiplied by a determinstic intensity function such as the "boxcar", trape-
zoidal (Hou, 1968), exponential (Liu, 1969), and compound (Jennings, 1968)
functions shown in Figure 3.
Bycroft (1960) and Brady (1966) simulated “white noise" (for which
G(w) is theoretically constant for all frequencies to represent earthquake
ground motion. Actually, the simplest workable form of G(w) is that corres-
ponding to a band-limited white noise. The spectral density is constant
in the frequency range from 0 to w,, as shown in Figure 4a:
= 6 Osu uy,
G(w) (2)
Based on Kanai's study (1961) of the frequency content of a limited
number of recorded strong ground motions, Tajimi (1960) suggested the
following widely quoted form for the spectral density function of ground
motion (Fig. 4b):
T1+4r? (wfu,)*I6,
(3)
11 (w/ag)?F + 422 (w/a,)”
G(w) =
Soviet researchers (Barstein, 1960; Bolotin, 1969) suggested a probabilistic
approach to earthquake engineering based on the autocorrelation function ofGlw)
FIGURE 1 - SPECTRAL DENSITY FUNCTION
G@) | & x(t)
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FIGURE 2 - RANDOM PROCESSES WITH CORRESPONDING SPECTRAL DENSITY FUNCTIONS:
a) Narrow Band Process; b) Wide Band Process-10-
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