Relationship between Average Shear-Wave Velocity and Site Amplification Inferred from Strong Motion Records at Nearby Station Pairs

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the relationship between average shear-wave velocity of the ground (AVS) and the site amplification factor (AF). A method for computing the relation by using the peak ground motions recorded at nearby station pairs is proposed. The method is applied to the strong motion records during several large earthquakes such as the 2000 Tottori-ken Seibu earthquake and the 2001 Geiyo earthquake. In terms of shear strain in surface soils, the effect of nonlinearity on the relation is examined. On the basis of the results, an empirical equation for predicting the AF in terms of AVS, which considers the nonlinear effect of the ground, is proposed.