| Abstract: | The apparent horizontal propagation velocity, that is the propagation velocity of seismic waves with respect to the ground surface, is discussed in this paper. This parameter is needed to determine the effects of earthquakes on long structures such as bridges and buried pipelines as well as the torsional rotation of foundations of multi-storey buildings. A time window intensity tensor introduced by Penzien and Kubo is used herein to determine the predominant directions of ground motion during an earthquake. Considering the reflection of waves at a free surface, an approximate relationship between the predominant direction and the angle of incidence of body waves with respect to the ground surface is presented. Knowing the material properties of the top layer and the angle of incidence, the desired propagation velocity with respect to the ground surface is readily calculated. The median value of the apparent propagation velocity of shear waves for near field sites which recorded the 1971 San Fernando earthquake was determined to be about 2-1 km/s using the above method. A similar value for the 1979 Imperial Valley earthquake is 3·7 km/s. These values are consistent with the range of values for the apparent propagation velocity determined by other researchers. |
