Strong ground motion measuring and recording instruments play a major role in mitigation of seismic risk. The strong ground motion near the source of an earthquake describes the effects that endanger our built environment, and is also the most detailed clue concerning the source mechanism of the earthquake. The range of complexity that engulfs our understanding of the source parameters of a major earthquake (extent of the source mechanism, stress drop, wave propagation patterns) and how buildings and other works of construction respond to ground-transmitted dynamic effects may be overpowered by improved direct observations. Strong motion seismographs provide the information that enables scientists and engineers to resolve the many issues that are intertwined with practical problems of building safe communities worldwide. They may be installed as arrays close to major fault zones, consisting of many instruments arranged in some geometrical pattern, or in the vicinity and mounted on buildings.

This book, which contains papers by invited authorities, represents a unique interaction between seismologists and earthquake engineers who examine issues of mutual concern in an overlapping area of major interest. The papers have been grouped around three major areas. -Seismic Hazard and Extreme Motions -Engineering Uses of Strong Motion Seismograms -Arrays and Observations.

Inhalt
Seismic Hazard and Extreme Motions.- Data Needs for Improved Seismic Hazard Analysis.- Capturing and Limiting Groundmotion Uncertainty in Seismic Hazard Assessment.- Long-Period Ground Motions from Digital Acceleration Recordings: A New Era in Engineering Seismology.- Observed Ground Motions, Extreme Ground Motions, and Physical Limits to Ground Motions.- Engineering Uses of Strong Motion Seismograms.- Raised Drift Demands for Framed Buildings during Near-Field Earthquakes.- Impact of Near-Fault Pulses on Engineering Design.- Rapid Assessment of Building Response Using Generalized Interstory Drift Spectra.- Influence of Ground Motion Intensity on the Performance of Low- and Mid-Rise Ordinary Concrete Buildings.- Arrays and Observations.- Integrated Surface and Borehole Strong-Motion, Soil-Response Arrays in San Francisco, California.- Structural Monitoring Arrays Past, Present and Future.- Development of Strong-Motion Observation Network Constructed by NIED.- Dense Strong-Motion Array in Yokohama, Japan, and Its Use for Disaster Management.- The Cosmos Virtual Data Center.- Site-Dependent Ground-motion Data Recorded by German Taskforce in Turkey.- Observation and Prediction of Strong Ground Motion in China.- Strong Motion Instrumentation Programs in Taiwan.- Strong-Motion Data Acquisition, Processing and Utilization with Applications to Istanbul Strong Motion Network.