Variance decomposition of the seismic response of structures

The reliability of structures is dependent on the variability in random characteristics of strong ground motion. In this paper, the influence of the variability of ground motion variables on the variability of structural response has been accessed by sensitivity analysis. The Variance-Based Sensitivity Analysis (VBSA) is considered using the Monte Carlo based procedure, for computing the set of first order sensitivity indices of variables to estimate the contribution that each uncertain input makes to variance in the model output. The variables that have a dominant influence on the uncertainty of structural response are identified. The analytical results show that the formulation of dynamic structural response in the frequency domain, based on the seismological information of excitation, can be used in some countries, such as Iran, with lack of recorded strong motion.