Damping‐dependent correlations between response spectral ordinates

Abstract Correlations between response spectral ordinates at different periods are used in several seismic hazard computations, such as for the construction of conditional mean spectra and conditional spectra. Conventionally, these correlations have been computed and reported only for a damping ratio of 5%; however, structures may have damping ratios substantially lower or higher than 5%. Therefore, in those cases, one requires correlations of spectral ordinates at different periods but having the same damping ratios that are different than 5%, correlations of spectral ordinates at the same period but having different damping ratios, or the general case of correlation between spectral ordinates of two oscillators having different damping ratios and different periods. This work computes such damping‐dependent correlations by using the NGA‐West2 ground motion database. In general, it is found that correlations increase as the damping ratio of any of the two spectral ordinates increases and as the ratio of periods of vibration of the two oscillators departs from one. A nonlinear regression model is fitted to the resulting damping‐dependent correlations to simplify future computations. Finally, the use of the new damping‐dependent correlations is illustrated by computing example conditional spectra for damping ratios differing from 5%. The results show that using 5%‐damped correlations for the construction of condition mean spectra, overestimates spectral ordinates for damping ratios lower than 5% and underestimates spectral ordinates for damping ratios higher than 5%.