Abstract:As one of the three essential elements of ground motion, ground motion duration significantly affects the seismic response and damage state of structures. To investigate the influence of ground motion duration on the seismic response of masonry structures, spectral matching methods and wavelet transforms were employed to eliminate the effects of spectrum and amplitude. 100 ground motion records with different durations were obtained by matching them to the target spectrum based on the seismic design spectrum. Additionally, a numerical model of a typical masonry structure was established using the equivalent frame method, and the 100 seismic records were input into the numerical model to conduct seismic response analysis. Based on the analysis results, the influence of ground motion duration on the maximum inter-story drift angle, hysteretic energy dissipation, and cumulative damage of masonry structures was examined. Empirical formulas for the influence of ground motion duration on the seismic response parameters of masonry structures were derived through regression analysis. The results showed that long-duration earthquakes caused greater damage to masonry structures compared to short-duration earthquakes. The correlation between seismic response parameters of masonry structures and duration, ranked from highest to lowest, was as follows: hysteretic energy dissipation, softening damage index, Park-Ang damage index, and maximum inter-story drift angle. The maximum inter-story drift angle, hysteretic energy dissipation, and Park-Ang damage index of masonry structures all increased with the extension of ground motion duration. However, when the duration was short, the growth rate was relatively slow. As the duration increased, the growth rate accelerated, but hysteretic energy dissipation eventually tended to stabilize. The softening damage index of masonry structures increased with longer ground motion durations. When the duration was relatively short, it grew rapidly, but as the duration further increased, the softening damage index gradually stabilized. Taking the long- and short-duration ground motions selected in this study as examples, the Park-Ang damage index, hysteretic energy dissipation, softening damage index, and maximum interstory drift angle under long-duration ground motion were 4.5 times, 10 times, 2.32 times, and 2.99 times those under short-duration ground motion, respectively. The findings of this study can serve as a reference for seismic design and earthquake damage assessment of masonry structures.