A vector‐valued ground motion intensity measure for base‐isolated buildings in far‐field regions

Abstract In this study, the effects of the spectral acceleration at the superstructure first‐mode period on the isolator displacement are investigated for far‐field ground motions. For this purpose, two different base‐isolated models are subjected to 165 far‐field ground motions. It is demonstrated that considering the spectral acceleration at the superstructure first‐mode period, besides that at the effective period, improves the estimation accuracy of isolator displacement. ASCE 7‐22 modifies the scaling period range to consider the superstructure first mode period and proposes the new period range from the superstructure first‐mode period to the 1.25 times effective period. In the ASCE 7‐22, the same weight factor is used for the whole period range. However, the present study shows that adding the superstructure first‐mode related period range with appropriate weight factor to the effective period‐based scaling range decreases the dispersion of isolator displacement in the nonlinear response history analyses (NRH). Then, to overcome the spectral shape effects on the fragility curves, a vector‐valued intensity measure parameter is obtained by combining spectral acceleration at the effective period and reduced spectral acceleration at the superstructure first‐mode period. The optimum contribution factor for the spectral acceleration at the superstructure first‐mode period is defined as the ratio of the superstructure first‐mode period to the effective period. The article shows that the proposed parameter is efficient and sufficient to be used as an intensity measure for far‐field ground motions. Furthermore, regression analysis results indicate that this vector‐valued intensity measure parameter correlates well with the isolator displacement. Further, the article shows that using the proposed IM parameter in the fragility curves makes the collapse margin ratio of these curves less sensitive to the spectral shape of the selected ground motions.