DiffSpecMatch: Differentiable Waveform Inverse Design with Configurable Optimization Modules for Response-Spectrum Matching of Ground Motions

Abstract

Response-spectrum matching is an underdetermined waveform inverse problem in which spectral compatibility must be achieved without uncontrolled changes in other engineering-relevant ground-motion characteristics. This study formulates the problem as differentiable waveform inverse design using a fixed SDOF dynamics engine and configurable optimization modules. An envelope-guided parameterization defines the correction waveform, while a hard projection enforces zero correction-induced terminal velocity and displacement. Differentiable SDOF responses then provide gradients for waveform optimization. Spectral fidelity and Arias-intensity accumulation are treated as adaptive objectives. Spectral feasibility, PGA, total Arias intensity, and displacement-path requirements are incorporated as constraints. The differentiable spectrum operator agrees with an exact solution of the equation of motion to within 0.002%. The complete five-damping configuration achieves a maximum spectral error of 5.00% over 375 ordinates. On a common benchmark, maximum errors of 2.61% and 8.47% are obtained for single- and multi-damping matching, respectively, while retaining the additional waveform constraints. Three-component applications further show that different engineering acceptance requirements can be accommodated through module reconfiguration without changing the forward dynamics.