Towards a new base shear format in future NBCC seismic provisions

Recent trends in the specifications of earthquake design forces are moving away from spectral amplification of ground motion towards direct evaluation of spectral values. Also, the 1988 Saguenay earthquake produced strong evidence for the need to modify the present provisions for low period structures in eastern North America. A new database consisting of 75 time histories was assembled and an extensive parametric study was undertaken to prepare new seismic response factors (S curves) for the National Building Code of Canada (NBCC). These time histories were divided into five categories (15 time histories each) on the basis of their frequency content as measured by their peak ground acceleration to peak ground velocity ratios, ranging from very high (≈3) to very low (≈0.5). Mean and mean + one standard deviation response spectra for one-degree-of-freedom and multi-degree-of-freedom systems were computed for the five categories using several normalizing (scaling) rules for the time histories. The results were compared and spectral amplification factors are presented. Spectra based on peak spectral velocity scaling were compared with spectra based on the present peak ground velocity scaling approach, and some differences are noted. Also, comparisons with the design spectra given in the 1991 edition of the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program provisions are presented. On the basis of this study, new S curves are proposed for consideration in the development of future editions of the NBCC. Key words: earthquake engineering, design spectra, building codes, amplification, ground motion, acceleration, velocity, ratio.