Evaluation of the Scaling Factor Bias Influence on the Probability of Collapse Using S a ( T ₁ ) as the Intensity Measure

Amplitude scaling is a common approach to modify recorded ground motions to achieve a desired intensity level. The possible bias introduced by scaling the amplitude of ground motions when using the first‐mode spectral ordinate as the intensity measure is evaluated using intensity‐based analyses. This study evaluates whether upward scaling introduces bias in lateral displacement demands, but more importantly, in the probability of collapse. The latter, which is of utmost importance, has received little attention in previous studies. Analyses were conducted using degrading single‐degree‐of‐freedom and multiple‐degree‐offreedom systems with different fundamental periods of vibration and normalized strengths subjected to different sets of recorded accelerograms requiring different scale factors to reach a target intensity. The results demonstrate that this type of amplitude scaling introduces a bias in which lateral displacement demands and collapse estimates are increasingly overestimated with an increasing scale factor and that the bias is strongly dependent on the period and lateral strength of the system. Furthermore, the bias is considerably larger in collapse risk estimates.