Estimation of Uncertain Parameters using Static Pushover Methods
Michalis Fragiadakis*
Institute of Structural Analysis & Seismic Research, School of Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens,
Zografou Campus, Athens, 15771, Greece
Dimitrios Vamvatsikos
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Cyprus, Nicosia 1678, Cyprus
ABSTRACT: Following recent guidelines (e.g. FEMA-350) seismic performance uncertainty is an essential
ingredient for performance-based earthquake engineering. Uncertainty refers to both aleatory uncertainty,
raised by the random record-to-record variability, and also to epistemic uncertainty primarily introduced by
modeling assumptions or errors. A methodology for the performance-based estimation of the dispersion introduced
by parameter uncertainties is developed. The methodology proposed provides an inexpensive alternative
to the use of tabulated values, or to performing a series of time-consuming nonlinear response history
analyses to obtain parameter uncertainty. As a testbed, the well-known 9-storey LA9 2D steel frame is employed
using beam-hinges with uncertain backbone properties. The monotonic backbone is fully described by
six parameters, which are considered as random variables with given mean and standard deviation. Using
point-estimate methods, first-order-second-moment techniques and latin hypercube sampling with Monte
Carlo simulation, the pushover curve is shown to be a powerful tool that can help accurately estimating the
uncertainty in the seismic capacity. Coupled with SPO2IDA, a powerful R-μ-T relationship, such estimates
can be applied at the level of the results of nonlinear dynamic analysis, allowing the evaluation of seismic capacity
uncertainty even close to global dynamic instability.
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