NONLINEAR RESPONSE SPECTRA FOR STRONG GROUND MOTION RECORDS FROM THE 2004 NIIGATA-KEN CHUETSU EARTHQUAKES

Abstract

A sequence of destructive earthquakes struck mid-Niigata prefecture in central Japan during late October 2004. This paper examines some of the characteristics of the strong ground motions recorded during the main shock and aftershocks of the earthquakes, and the effects of these records on the linear and nonlinear dynamic response of single-degree-of-freedom systems. The studies suggest that a ground motion recorded close to the epicenter of the main shock produce larger response than those of the current design codes up to natural period of 2 seconds.