36.5.2. Scaling and Averaging

Try these first

1. 1.

   What is scaling in the context of response spectra?

   Hint

   Think about how you would adjust numbers to match a target.

2. 2.

   Why is averaging important in site-specific response spectra?

   Hint

   Consider how you combine different results to get an overall picture.

3. 3.

   What does scaling adjust in response spectra?

   • Peak Ground Acceleration
   • Spectral Shape
   • Frequency range

   Hint

   Think about the primary adjustments made in response spectra.

4. 4.

   True or False: Averaging response spectra can help mitigate anomalies from individual records.

   • True
   • False

   Hint

   Consider what averaging typically does with data.

5. 5.

   Given a set of response spectra from three different earthquakes, describe how you would scale each spectrum to match a target PGA of 0.5g and then average the results.

   Hint

   Utilize the formula for scaling based on ratios.

6. 6.

   If two scaled response spectra show significant disparity in their periods, analyze how averaging them could yield a misleading average spectrum.

   Hint

   Consider if both spectra could represent similar ground motion characteristics.