Response Spectrum Analysis

Theory, Benefits and Limitations

Emrah Erduran, PhD
NORSAR / International Center of Geohazards (ICG), Kjeller, Norway

Table of contents
1. Introduction
2. Design spectrum for elastic analysis
3. Free Vibration
3.1. SDOF
4.1. MDOF
4. Modal Analysis under Earthquake Forces
5. Response Spectrum Analysis (RSA)
6. RSA in EC-8
7. Tutorial
8. Concluding Remarks


Structural Analysis under Seismic Action
The aim of structural analysis under seismic action is to compute the design actions
(forces and displacements) on the building components and the entire system
G +
Ei
Q
General types of analysis methods specified in EC8:

linear-elastic methods:
(1) lateral force method of analysis
(2) response spectrum analysis
non-linear (inelastic) methods
(3) non-linear static ('pushover') analysis
(4) non-linear time history analysis
i
j
l
pl
l
pl
Linear Models
E, I, A

i j
plastic hinge region
l
pl
l
pl
l
pl
= 0.5d to d
with: d - depth of section
Moment
Curvature
Non-linear Models
Curvature
M
o
m
e
n
t

E, I, A

to avoid explicit inelastic structural analysis in design, the capacity of the structure to
dissipate energy is accounted for by using a reduced response spectrum by q
q is an approximation of the ratio of seismic forces that the structure would experience
if its response would be completely elastic to the seismic forces used for the design
for 0 T T
B
:

for T
B
T T
C
:

for T
C
T T
D
:

for T
D
T 4 s :

(

+ = )
.
( ) (
3
2 5 2
3
2
q T
T
S a T S
B
g d
q
S a T S
g d
5 2.
) ( =
(

=
T
T
q
S a
C
g
5 2.
(

=
2
5 2
T
T T
q
S a
D C
g
.
Design spectrum for elastic analysis
Period T [sec]
S
p
e
c
t
r
a
l

a
c
c
e
l
e
r
a
t
i
o
n

S
d

q = 1

q = 2

q = 4
T
B
T
C
T
D
g
a

) (T S
d

) (T S
d
g
a
with: = 0.20

(lower bound factor)
(EN 1998-1:2004 3.2.2.2)

Free Vibration - SDOF
For an SDOF system, the equation of motion:


For an undamped system, the equation of motion reduces to:
When an undamped SDOF system is disturbed with an initial
displacement and released, the system osciallates with an
harmonic motion.
D
i
s
p
l
a
c
e
m
e
n
t

Time
Free Vibration - MDOF
Equation of motion for MDOF:
with:
Assumption: [C] = zero matrix !
Undamped system
| | { } | | { } | | { } 0 = + + u K u C u M
| |
|
|
|
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
i
m
m
m
m
M
0 0 0
0 0 0
0 0 0
0 0 0
3
2
1
| |
|
|
|
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
nn n
n
c c
c
c
c c
C
.. ..
.. .. ..
.. .. ..
.. ..
1
33
22
1 11
| |
|
|
|
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
nn n
n
k k
k
k
k k
K
.. ..
.. .. ..
.. .. ..
.. ..
1
33
22
1 11
m
2
m
3
m
1

Free Vibration - MDOF
Contrary to SDOF systems, for a MDOF system, the motion of each mass (or each floor)
is NOT a simple harmonic motion, when an arbitrary initial deflection is applied to the
system.
An associated period (or frequency) cannot be defined.
An undamped MDOF will undergo simple harmonic motion with an associated
frequency only if the initial deformations are arranged in an approprioate distribution

m
2
m
3
m
1

n,1

j+1,1

j,1

n,2

j+1,2

j,2

n,3

j+1,3

j,3
NATURAL MODES OF VIBRATION
or
MODE SHAPES
Free Vibration - MDOF
At any given instant:



w
n:
natural circular frequency of vibration
T
n:
natural period of vibration; time required for one cycle of simple harmonic motion



m
2
m
3
m
1

n,1

j+1,1

j,1

n,2

j+1,2

j,2

n,3

j+1,3

j,3
Determination of Mode Shapes
Procedure:
modal segmentation: =>

derive circular frequencies
i
/ periods T
i
and mode shapes i

or obtain them from finite element software (e.g. ROBOT)

| | | | 0
2
= M K
m
k
=
Modal Analysis of MDOF systems under
earthquake forces
=


m
2
m
3
m
1

n,1

j+1,1

j,1

n,2

j+1,2

j,2

n,3

j+1,3

j,3
m
2
m
3
m
1

T
1

T
2

T
3

Modal Analysis of MDOF systems under
earthquake forces
=

n,1

j+1,1

j,1

n,2

j+1,2

j,2

n,3

j+1,3

j,3
m
2
m
3
m
1

T
1

T
2

T
3

q
i
(t) can be computed fairly easily!
Modal Analysis of MDOF systems under
earthquake forces
Modal analysis of MDOF systems allows us to conduct a simplified analysis instead of
solving a system of nxn differential equations.
However, we still need to solve n differential equations!!!
Modal analysis provides us with the response parameters (e.g. member forces,
displacements, etc...) at every time step of an earthquake record.
Typically, this time step is between 0.005 seconds and 0.02 seconds.
Do we really need this information?
ENGINEERS NEED TO KNOW ONLY THE MAXIMUM PROBABLE ACTION FOR DESIGN!
RESPONSE SPECTRUM!
Excursion
Response spectrum:
used in earthquake engineering (exclusively)
describes the maximum response of a SDOF
system to a particular input motion (i.e. the
respective accelerogram)
dependent on damping ratio (110 %)
response spectra reflect the maximum
response to simple structures (SDOF)
T
1
T
2
T
3
T
4
T
5
T
6
T
7
S
a,1
S
a,2
S
a,3
S
a,4
S
a,5
S
a,6
S
a,7
S
p
e
c
t
r
a
l

a
c
c
e
l
e
r
a
t
i
o
n

S
a

Period T

maximum value

response action

earthquake impact

Response
spectrum:

Response Spectrum Analysis
Procedure:
Given: - circular frequencies
i
/ periods T
i

- mode shapes
i


modal participation factors
i
:


design spectral accelerations S
a
(T
i
) for each mode i :

{ }
|
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
+
1
1 1
1
1
,
,
,
n
j
j

=
=

=
n
j
i j j
n
j
i j j
i
m
m
1
2
1
,
,

n,1

j+1,1

j,1
T
1

Period T [sec]
S
p
e
c
t
r
a
l

a
c
c
e
l
e
r
a
t
i
o
n

S
a

T
2
T
3
T
1
S
a,d
(T
3
)
S
a,d
(T
2
)
S
a.d
(T
1
)
Response Spectrum Analysis
Procedure:
lateral story loads F
j ,i
:

) (
, , , i d a i i j j i j
T S m F =
Mode shape i: 1 2
3
F
n,1

F
j+1,1

F
j,1

F
n,2

F
j+1,2

F
j,2

F
n,3

F
j+1,3

F
j,3

n,1

j+1,1

j,1

n,2

j+1,2

j,2

n,3

j+1,3

j,3
resulting shear forces F
b,m
, that will be used in the design: ????
Modal Combination Rules
Square root of sum of squares (SRSS):

Simple
Fairly accurate for buildings with well-seperated frequencies.
Should be avoided if the modal frequencies are close to each other.
Absolute Sum(ABSSUM):

Very Simple (Primitive (?))
Conservative... REALLY Conservative!!
Modal Combination Rules
Complete Quadratic Combination:

Mathematically complex
Leads to the most reliable solution for buildings with closely spaced natural
frequencies .
... as well as well-seperated frequencies

n,m
is the cross-modal coefficient
Response spectrum analysis in EC-8
Criteria:
shall be applied if the criteria for analysis method (1) are not
fulfilled, this means if:
4 T
C
T
1
>
2.0 sec
F
b
1
st
mode
response of all modes shall be considered that contribute significantly to the global
building response (i.e., important for buildings of a certain height)
those modes shall be considered for which:
(1) the sum of the modal masses is at least 90% of the
total building mass or
(2) the modal mass is larger than 5% of the total building
mass
m
i
0.9 m
tot
m
i
0.05 m
tot
(EN 1998-1:2004 4.3.3.3)

Response spectrum analysis in EC-8
Criteria (cont'd):
if the '90%' and the '5%' criteria is not fulfilled (e.g. for buildings prone to torsional
effects), those modes shall be considered for which:
with: k - number of modes taken into account
n - story number (from above foundation to top)
T
k
- period of vibration of mode k
n = 4
k

3 n
and
T
k
0.20 s

Mode shape: 1 2 3 4
Period T
k
: 0.85 s 0.29 s 0.16 s 0.07 s

Example: 16-story building

k 3 16 = 12
and
T
12
= 0.002 s 0.20 s
twelve modes shall be
considered !!
Methods of analysis
General types of analysis methods specified in EC8:






Regularity Allowed simplification
Behavior factor
(for linear analysis)
Plan Elevation Model Linear-elastic analysis

planar
lateral force reference value

modal decreased value (0.8)

spatial
lateral force reference value

modal decreased value (0.8)
(EN 1998-1:2004 4.2.3)

3-story RC frame building (residential use)
behavior factor q = 4
ground motion: a
gR
= 0.3 g
residential use:
I
= 1.0
structural parameters:
E = 2.1 108 kN/m
2
I = 2.679 10-5 m
4

h = 3.0 m k = 12 EI/h
3
m = 50 tons = 50 kNs
2
/m
Tutorial VIII 'Modal RS method'
1. Setting up the differential equation of motion:


cf. Tutorial 4.2
m
3
= m

m
2
= 1.5m

m
1
= 2m
h
h
h
k
3
= k
k
2
= 2k
k
1
= 3k
| | { } | | { } | | { } 0 = + + u K u C u M if [C] = 0 : | | { } | | { } 0 = + u K u M
| |
|
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
|
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
1 0 0
0 5 1 0
0 0 2
0 0
0 0
0 0
3
2
1
. m
m
m
m
M | |
|
|
|
.
|

\
|

=
|
|
|
.
|

\
|

+
+
=
1 1 0
1 3 2
0 2 5
0
0
3 3
3 3 2 2
2 2 1
k
k k
k k k k
k k k
K
Tutorial VIII 'Modal RS method'
2. Modal segmentation:


cf. Tutorial 4.2
| | | | 0
2
= M K
0
0
5 1 3 2
0 2 2 5
2
2
2
=

m k k
k m k k
k m k
.
3. Modal circular frequencies
i
and periods T
i
:

1
= 4.19 s-1 T
1
= 1.50 sec

2
= 8.97 s-1 T
2
= 0.70 sec

3
= 13.3 s-1 T
3
= 0.47 sec
4. Eigenmodes:

{ }
|
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
00 1
644 0
30 0
1
.
.
.
{ }
|
|
|
.
|

\
|

=
00 1
601 0
676 0
2
.
.
.
{ }
|
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
00 1
57 2
47 2
3
.
.
.

Tutorial VIII 'Modal RS method'

5. Modal participation factors
i
:


cf. Tutorial 4.2

1
= 100 0.3 + 75 0.644 + 50 1.0 = 128.3 kNs
2
/m

2
= 100 0.676 75 0.601 + 50 1.0 = -62.7 kNs
2
/m

3
= 100 2.47 75 2.57 + 50 1.0 = 104.3 kNs
2
/m

M
1
*
= 100 0.32 + 75 0.6442 + 50 1.02 = 90.0 kNs
2
/m
M
2
*
= 100 0.6762 + 75 0.6012 + 50 1.02 = 122.8 kNs
2
/m
M
3
*
= 100 2.472 + 75 2.572 + 50 1.02 = 1155.0 kNs
2
/m


1
= 128.3 / 90.0 = 1.426

2
= -62.7 / 122.8 = 0.511

3
= 104.3 / 1155.0 = 0.090
*
,
,
i
i
n
j
i j j
n
j
i j j
i
M
m
m

=
=
1
2
1
Tutorial VIII 'Modal RS method'
6. Design spectral accelerations S
a
(T
i
) for each mode i :


T
1
= 1.50 sec :

Check: S
a,d
(T) = 0.846 m/s
2
a
g
= 0.20 2.943 = 0.5886 m/s
2



T
2
= 0.70 sec :

Check: S
a,d
(T) = 1.813 m/s
2
a
g
= 0.20 2.943 = 0.5886 m/s
2



T
3
= 0.47 sec :

cf. Tutorial 4.2
2
1
846 0
50 1
6 0
0 4
5 2
15 1 0 1 943 2
5 2
s m
T
T
q
S a T S
C
g d a
/ .
.
.
.
.
. ) . . (
.
) (
,
=
(

=
(

=
2
1
813 1
7 0
6 0
0 4
5 2
15 1 0 1 943 2
5 2
s m
T
T
q
S a T S
C
g d a
/ .
.
.
.
.
. ) . . (
.
) (
,
=
(

=
(

=
2
115 2
0 4
5 2
15 1 0 1 943 2
5 2
s m
q
S a T S
g d a
/ .
.
.
. ) . . (
.
) (
,
= = =
Tutorial VIII 'Modal RS method'
5. Lateral story loads F
j,i
:



F
1,1

= 100 0.30 1.426 0.846 = 36.2 kN
F
2,1

= 75 0.644 1.426 0.846 = 58.3 kN
F
3,1

= 50 1.00 1.426 0.846 = 60.3 kN


F
1,2

= 100 (0.676) (0.511) 1.813 = 62.6 kN
F
2,2

= 75 (0.601) (0.511) 1.813 = 41.8 kN
F
3,2

= 50 1.00 (0.511) 1.813 = 46.3 kN


F
1,3

= 100 2.47 0.090 2.115 = 47.0 kN
F
2,3

= 75 (2.57) 0.090 2.115 = 36.7 kN
F
3,3

= 50 1.00 0.090 2.115 = 9.5 kN
cf. Tutorial 4.2
) (
, , , i d a i i j j i j
T S m F =
F
3,1
= 60.3


F
2,1
= 58.3
F
1,1
= 36.2
F
3,2
= 46.3
F
2,2
= 41.8
F
1,2
= 62.6
F
3,3
= 9.5
F
2,3
= 36.7
F
1,3
= 47.0
Tutorial VIII 'Modal RS method'
5. Maximum shear forces F
b
:

cf. Tutorial 4.2
60.3


118.6
154.8
-46.3
-4.5
58.1
9.5
-27.2
19.8
76.6


121.7
166.5

2
1
i m b
n
i
m b
F F
, , ,
=
=
Conclusion
Response Spectrum Analysis (RSA) is an elastic method of analysis and
lies in between equivalent force method of analysis and nonlinear
analysis methods in terms of complexity.
RSA is based on the structural dynamics theory and can be derived from
the basic principles (e.g. Equation of motion).
RSA, unlike equivalent force method, considers the influence of several
modes on the seismic behaviour of the building.
Damping of the structures is inherently taken into account by using a
design (or response) spectrum with a predefined damping level.
The maximum response of each mode is an exact solution.
The sole approximation used in RSA is the combination of modal
responses.

Conclusion (cont.d)
ABSSUM is the most conservative modal combination rul. Too
conservative?
SRSS is the most popular modal combination rule due to its simplicity and
accuracy for buildings with well-seperated frequencies.
CQC is regarded as the most viable option for any structure.