Some observations on strong-motion earthquake measurement using a digital accelerograph

Abstract

Abstract This paper presents results of a study of some of the characteristics of a PDR-1 digital strong-motion accelerograph. Results are presented for laboratory tests of the background noise level of the instrument, and these results are compared with previously reported observations for optical instruments. Noise levels for the digital instrument are found to be one or two orders of magnitude lower than for an analog optimal instrument. The paper discusses determination of displacement from acceleration data, and results of laboratory tests are presented. An instrument anomaly in the FBA-13 transducer is identified, a simple data correction algorithm proposed, and examples given. The paper also presents detailed results of a comparison of earthquake records obtained from side-by-side digital and optical analog instruments during an aftershock of the 1983 Coalinga earthquake.