Developing joint distribution of amax and Mw of seismic loading for performance-based assessment of liquefaction induced structural damage

Earthquake-induced soil liquefaction can cause enormous life and economic losses. The joint distribution of the peak ground surface acceleration (amax) and the moment magnitude of an earthquake (Mw) is crucial to the estimation of soil liquefaction-related hazards. In this paper, a new method is suggested to estimate the joint distribution of amax and Mw. Compared with the existing method, the suggested method is easier to implement, and depends on fewer assumptions. The derived joint distribution is then used to assess the damage state of a building caused by soil liquefaction during a given exposure time. The method is illustrated with an example in which a reinforced concrete frame building is assumed to be at different locations and is subjected to different exposure time. It is found that, as the exposure time increases, the chance of higher degree of damage also increases. When the exposure time is the same, the damage state of the building may also be different when it is at different locations. The method suggested in this paper can be used to quantify the effect of ground condition as well as the seismic effects at a site on the damage state of a building, thus providing a more transparent understanding of the risk associated with the soil liquefaction hazard on structural damage.