Analysis of ground motion caused by propagating air pressure waves

Abstract The soil is assumed to be a horizontally layered viscoelastic medium over a rigid base. A semi-analytical method is used to calculate the Green functions for line loads in the frequency domain. The displacements in the soil are then obtained by spatial convolution and Fourier transforms from the frequency to the time domain. The influence of significant parameters is studied for a homogeneous layer. Maximum response is obtained when the air pressure wave velocity equals the Rayleigh wave velocity in the soil. The response spectra computed for an actual soil profile, which is subjected to an air pressure wave from a deflagration-type explosion, show predominant response at frequencies, which are significantly higher than those of earthquake motion.