Earthquake Design of Buildings:Damping

A Fourier spectra analysis of the recorded February 9, 1971, San Fernando earthquake response of 12 southern California high-rise buildings was conducted and damping in building normal modes of vibration was estimated. Obtained damping values were correlated with building basement 0% damped pseudovelocity response spectrum and empirical equations were derived for damping estimation. A procedure utilizing these equations was developed for the selection of damping values for use in building design.