Modeling Building Classes Using Moment Matching. Issue 1 (February 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cho, In Ho; Porter, Keith
• Is Part Of: Earthquake spectra. Volume 32:Issue 1(2016)
• Page Start: 285
• Page End: 301
• Publication Date: 2016-02
• Subjects: Earthquake engineering -- Periodicals; Earthquake engineering; Periodicals; 624.1762
• DOI: 10.1193/071712EQS239M
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 8755-2930

Abstract

Large-scale earthquake risk assessment necessitates models of the seismic performance of building classes. This work addresses how to depict a class with only a few (index) buildings whose designs span the attributes that most impact the seismic behavior of the class. We propose a general numerical moment matching (MM) technique to represent those seismic attributes of index buildings, which can then be individually analyzed by second-generation performance-based earthquake engineering methods (PBEE-2). The results probabilistically combined to model the class behavior as a whole. Thereby, the model honors the joint distribution of variable features within the class and propagates all other uncertainties that PBEE-2 already recognizes. Importantly, we can reflect and propagate with rigor the uncertain attributes of buildings within a class, notably without resorting to standard distributions. The MM enables PBEE-2 to rigorously capture seismic risk assessment of a building class.