A procedure for simulating synthetic accelerograms compatible with correlated and conditional probabilistic response spectra

•Simulation of spectrum-compatible artificial accelerograms.•Match not ony median spectrum but also its statistical distribution.•Match particular spectral shape.•Model based on available information from ground motion prediction equations.•Possibility to generate as many synthetic accelerograms as needed for PBEE.

The modeling of seismic load is a major topic that has to be addressed thoroughly in the framework of performance based seismic analysis and design. In this paper, a simple procedure for simulating artificial earthquake accelerograms matching the statistical distribution of response spectra, as given by median ground motion prediction equations, the standard deviation and correlation coefficients, is proposed. The approach follows the general ideas of the (natural) ground motion selection algorithms proposed by Baker [4] and Wang [43] but using simulated (artificial) “spectrum-compatible” accelerograms. This allows to simulate spectrum-compatible accelerograms featuring variability similar to the one of recorded accelerograms when the match of median and ±1 standard-deviation response spectra is imposed by the regulator. The procedure is illustrated by an application to the NGA ground motion data and models.