ASCONA: Automated Selection of COmpatible Natural Accelerograms

This paper describes an automated procedure for selecting and scaling real spectrum-compatible records. The methodology allows one to choose from a predefined database, assembled from accredited strong-motion accelerometric data banks, real records satisfying properly defined seismological constraints with the additional requirement of spectrum-compatibility with a reference spectrum in a specified period range. Among the different sets of records satisfying these constraints, the user can specify the desired one, based on additional requirements (e.g., limited scaling factors). The proposed algorithm allows one to select records compatible with either an acceleration or a displacement response spectrum.