THE APPLICATION OF EQUIVALENT LINEAR METHODS FOR PREDICTION OF SEISMIC GROUND MOTIONS

Earthquake ground motions recorded at three different array sites (Sagar, Numazu and Matsuzaki) were evaluated using equivalent linear wave propagation analysis methods. Recorded base rock and rock outcrop motions and measured soil shear wave velocities and densities were used as the source of input data for the analyses. Calculated and measured displacement time histories, acceleration time histories, peak accelerations and acceleration response spectra were compared. The effect of varying soil properties was evaluated. It was found that equivalent linear soil properties and the assumption of vertically propagating shear waves appeared to be a reasonable representation of the behavior at the beginning of the strong motion, but did not represent the behavior particularly well at later times.