AbstractAccelerograms, Fourier amplitude spectra and response spectra from ground motion recorded in the San Fernando earthquake at selected sites in Los Angeles were examined and compared. Although differences exist in the data from the bases of a group of six tall buildings close together near the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Normandie Avenue, the differences are not significant from the standpoint of design. A single design spectrum is most appropriate for this area, even though there exists a variety of foundation conditions, building properties and basement configurations for the six sites.The degree to which soil‐structure interaction and the local geology affected the response could not be precisely determined from the basement accelerograms, although the data from the six Wilshire‐Normandie sites offered some evidence that soil‐structure interaction and local site conditions did not contribute significantly to the character of the recorded motions. There was some correlation between the degree of similarity in the response at two sites and their distance apart. Thus, it is possible that some differences in the response of the closely spaced buildings could result from different superposition of the seismic waves.The shapes of response spectra from all of the sites studied, including the spectra from seven buildings 2–3 miles distant from the buildings near the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Normandie Avenue, indicate that the character of the ground motion was probably more dependent on the source mechanism and the travel paths of the earthquake waves, rather than on more local
展开▼
