Reconsideration of ground-level seismic records obtained in instrumented buildings: a preliminary study for strong Vrancea earthquakes

Abstract

Currently, a large number of seismic records, obtained over the years on instrumented buildings with various heights, located in urban environment, are available at global scale. The valorization of these records is important, as frequently no other information exists for the corresponding or neighboring locations. Several studies carried out recently have shown that the influence of the building can be separated, if certain characteristics of the structure-foundation-soil system are known. The paper presents the first results of an investigation concerning the usability of seismic records obtained in the past on stations located on buildings from densely urbanized areas in Romania. The reconsideration of the information provided by these stations could provide new perspectives on the spatial distribution of the ground motion parameters for the past earthquakes and, implicitly, a better understanding of the characteristics of seismic hazard in Romania.

Keywords

• seismic motions
• densely urbanized areas
• ground motion parameters
• seismic maps
• Vrancea earthquakes