Amplification of linear strain in a layer excited by a shear-wave earthquake pulse

Peaks of transient strains in a layer over semi-infinite half space are amplified by interference during up- and down-propagating waves, and they depend upon the impedance ratio of the layer and of the half space, as well as the wavelength. The amplification of incident motion on the ground surface is usually described in the frequency space for the response to a steady state, periodic excitation. To understand how this amplification develops for transient responses and for applications in which the linear theory leads to satisfactory answers, this paper describes the amplification in time in a layer excited by a shear-wave pulse. It is shown that the maximum amplification is equal to 2 for a “stiff” layer on a “soft” half space, and equal to 4 for a “soft” layer on a “stiff” half space, when the layer thickness corresponds to the quarter wavelength of the wave in the layer.