This study aims to evaluate the influence of epistemic uncertainties in shear wave velocity (VS) on seismic ground response analyses (GRAs). A number of alternative VS profiles obtained from both invasive (i.e., borehole) and noninvasive (i.e., surface waves) testing methods are available for two blind study sites. These profiles are used to estimate epistemic uncertainties in VS, which are then propagated through equivalent linear-elastic GRAs, allowing for the quantification of intramethod uncertainty and intermethod variability in terms of spectral accelerations, amplification functions, and damage parameters (i.e., Arias and Housner intensities). This study demonstrates that nonlinearity of soil response plays a fundamental role in increasing the propagated uncertainty in GRA. Additionally, GRAs were also performed by means of VS upper/lower-range profiles developed from assumptions commonly used to account for epistemic uncertainties. These VS profiles were found to yield unrealistic site response estimates for both low strain (i.e., linear-elastic) and high strain (i.e., nonlinear) levels.
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Research Article|
May 01, 2019
Influence of Epistemic Uncertainty in Shear Wave Velocity on Seismic Ground Response Analyses
Federico Passeri
;
a
Department of Structural, Geotechnical, and Building Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, Turin 10126, ItalyEmail: federico.passeri@polito.it
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Sebastiano Foti
;
Sebastiano Foti
a
Department of Structural, Geotechnical, and Building Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, Turin 10126, Italy
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Brady R. Cox, M. EERI
;
Brady R. Cox, M. EERI
b
Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of Texas, 301 E. Dean Keeton, Stop C1792, Austin, TX 78712
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Adrian Rodriguez-Marek, M. EERI
Adrian Rodriguez-Marek, M. EERI
c
The Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, 214 Patton Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061
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Earthquake Spectra (2019) 35 (2): 929–954.
Article history
received:
10 Jan 2018
accepted:
15 Oct 2018
first online:
08 Jun 2020
Citation
Federico Passeri, Sebastiano Foti, Brady R. Cox, Adrian Rodriguez-Marek; Influence of Epistemic Uncertainty in Shear Wave Velocity on Seismic Ground Response Analyses. Earthquake Spectra 2019;; 35 (2): 929–954. doi: https://doi.org/10.1193/011018EQS005M
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Index Terms/Descriptors
- acceleration
- Asia
- attenuation
- bedrock
- body waves
- boreholes
- Cenozoic
- earthquakes
- elastic waves
- Europe
- Far East
- frequency domain analysis
- ground motion
- Italy
- Korea
- measurement
- peak ground acceleration
- Pleistocene
- Quaternary
- S-waves
- seismic waves
- soils
- Southern Europe
- statistical analysis
- stiffness
- strain
- uncertainty
- velocity
- wave amplification
- weathering
- Seohae Grand Bridge
- Mirandola Italy
Latitude & Longitude
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