NEHRP Clearinghouse
- Title
- A Geophysical Model of Strong Motion for Large Ensemble Generation.
- File
- PB82172628.pdf
- Author(s)
- Savy, J. B.
- Source
- National Science Foundation, Washington, DC., July 1981, 135 p.
- Identifying Number(s)
- R81-6
- Abstract
- A model of fault rupture is developed for use in qualitative studies of seismic hazard analyses. The total rupture area is modeled by an assemblage of rectangular patches with random size and aspect ratio. The propagation of the rupture front is simulated by a random process similar to a directed random walk process. The solution for the motion generated by a single patch is obtained by using the Haskell method of dislocation extended to a dislocation both in the length and width of the patch. To obtain a better approximation of the motion in the near to intermediate field, second order terms are added to the solution. Some examples dramatize the effects of fault orientation, focus location, stress drop, and overall geometry on the final peak acceleration and RMS acceleration at the observation point. A sensitivity analysis, and an enumeration of ongoing research and projected studies using the model are presented.
- Keywords
- Sensitivity analysis; Seismic waves; Mathematical models; Earth movements; Ground motion; Earthquake engineering; Monte Carlo method; Random walk; Earthquakes; Geological faults