Three dimensional temporal characteristics of ground motions and building responses in Wenchuan earthquake

In this paper, analytical results from 3D temporal characteristics of the responses of an RC frame building subjected to both a large aftershock and the main shock of Wenchuan M (s) 8.0 earthquake are presented. The ground motion records from the main shock were obtained from three nearby stations. The acceleration records were analyzed in terms of instantaneous tangential acceleration a (T), normal acceleration a (N), Euclidean norm of acceleration vector, velocity vector nu, displacement vector nu, temporal curvature kappa, kappa (t) , and temporal torsion gamma and gamma (t). Results of the kinematic relationship between the above factors and some additional in depth information obtained from extensive analyses are provided and discussed.