Poster Presentation

This paper provides guidelines on the utilization of simulated earthquake ground motion time series for engineering building response applications based on research conducted in the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) Ground Motion Simulation Validation (GMSV) Technical Activity Group. The emphasis here is on how to use simulated motions for building response studies once a target response spectrum is developed. The recent validation of ground motion simulations, especially for complex system response and site-specific spatial extent, provides the basis towards utilization. This work connects ground motion simulations to practical applications for code-based and performance-based engineering analyses of building responses. To illustrate the appropriateness of simulations for the intended usage, engineering application examples are demonstrated with documented data products. With this backdrop, we show what simulations are most useful for, what they can and cannot do, with best practices to encourage broader utilization of simulated motions in the engineering community.