E. Kermani, Y. Jafarian, M. H. Baziar,
Volume 7, Issue 4 (12-2009)
Abstract
Although there is enough knowledge indicating on the influence of frequency content of input motion on the
deformation demand of structures, state-of-the-practice seismic studies use the intensity measures such as peak ground
acceleration (PGA) which are not frequency dependent. The v max/a max ratio of strong ground motions can be used in
seismic hazard studies as the representative of frequency content of the motions. This ratio can be indirectly estimated
by the attenuation models of PGA and PGV which are functions of earthquake magnitude, source to site distance,
faulting mechanism, and local site conditions. This paper presents new predictive equations for v max/a max ratio based
on genetic programming (GP) approach. The predictive equations are established using a reliable database released
by Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center (PEER) for three types of faulting mechanisms including strikeslip,
normal and reverse. The proposed models provide reasonable accuracy to estimate the frequency content of site
ground motions in practical projects. The results of parametric study demonstrate that v max/a max increases through
increasing earthquake moment magnitude and source to site distance while it decreases with increasing the average
shear-wave velocity over the top 30m of the site.