UC Davis

Site response estimates from one-dimensional (1D) site response analyses (SRAs) carry inaccuracies due to modeling and parametric errors. Modeling errors are due to the condensation of the three-dimensional (3D) wave propagation phenomenon to the vertical propagation of a horizontally polarized wave through a soil column, and parametric errors are due to the incomplete knowledge of the distributions of soil parameters, leading to the selection of nonoptimal input parameters for a site of interest. While parametric errors are traditionally handled using different soil parameters (e.g. alternative shear-wave velocity profiles), modeling errors are generally neglected. This paper proposes an approach for conducting linear elastic 1D SRAs to improve site response predictions and account for modeling errors. First, ground-motion data from borehole array sites are collected, processed, and screened for appropriateness (e.g. expected shear strains lower than 0.01%, signal-to-noise ratio higher than 3). Second, 1D SRA predictions in terms of transfer functions and amplification factors are compared against observations, and the discrepancies are quantified as residuals. Finally, the residuals are partitioned into a model bias term (Formula presented.), a site term (Formula presented.) with standard deviation (Formula presented.), and a event- and site-specific remaining residual (Formula presented.) with standard deviation (Formula presented.). Values for (Formula presented.) and (Formula presented.) for forward predictions are recommended. The sensitivity of the site response residuals to region, site type (1D- or 3D-like), and the applicability of findings to outcropping applications are discussed, and an example application for a hypothetical project site is presented.