Soil response to earthquake ground motion: Final report

Technical Report · Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:5163307

Silva, W

The validity of two fundamental assumptions in the analysis of dynamic site response to earthquake ground motion is examined: (1) The adequacy of modeling at a site by vertically propagation shear waves was evaluated using data recorded by vertical arrays. Results suggest that about 75% of the power observed at the surface of a soft site can be modeled as vertically propagating shear waves, and only in a limited bandwidth from several seconds to 15 Hz. The remaining 25% of the total surface power may arise from scattered or laterally propagating seismic energy. The implications of this on deconvolution of ground motion to depth is discussed. (2) The strain dependence of in-situ material properties was examined using strong and weak ground motion recorded at soil sites and at nearby rock sites. Response and Fourier spectra obtained from site response analyses using linear, equivalent-linear, and nonlinear (STEALTH) techniques were compared to each other and to observed data. The results suggest nonlinear soil response occurred only for surface motion in excess of 30% g. The transition region from linear to nonlinear response may be abrupt and occurred at strain levels around 10/sup -2/%. 114 refs., 93 figs., 6 tabs

• Research Organization: Woodward-Clyde Consultants, Walnut Creek, CA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5163307
• Report Number(s): EPRI-NP-5747; ON: TI88920246
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
EARTHQUAKES
GROUND MOTION
SOIL-STRUCTURE INTERACTIONS
FOSSIL-FUEL POWER PLANTS
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
PROGRESS REPORT
SEISMIC WAVES
SITE SELECTION
WAVE PROPAGATION
DOCUMENT TYPES
MOTION
POWER PLANTS
SEISMIC EVENTS
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
580201* - Geophysics- Seismology & Tectonics- (1980-1989)