| Earthquakes are devastating events that can result in major destruction and loss of lives. It is therefore necessary to characterize the seismic hazard properly and provide structural designs that can withstand anticipated earthquake hazard. It has been long recognized that earthquake response is altered by many factors including topography and the proximity to buildings. The primary objective of this research is to examine the local site effects of topographical features and structures on free field seismic response.;The results obtained from the field study showed that the amplification of ground motion and fundamental frequency of ground motion vary with distance away from the slope. In addition, the three dimensional configuration of the slope seems to affect the microtremor measurements so as to make them more variable in comparison with a simplified geometric representation.;The results of the shake table testing program and associated numerical modeling showed that the amplification for low amplitude input motion is significant and that the amplification decreases as the acceleration amplitude increases. In addition, slopes with negative crest angles generally amplified the peak accelerations more than slopes with positive angles.;The numerical investigation performed considering the Canadian seismic hazard showed that the 84th percentile UHS adopted in the NBCC (2005) was exceeded due to topography. It is recommended to specify the 84 th % UHS, rather than the 50th % UHS, for sites with topographical features.;A comprehensive investigation of the effects of slope geometry on the ground motion parameters was conducted within the course of this thesis. It included a field study for a slope using the Nakamura approach, an experimental program using a 1-g shake table testing model slopes with different 2D configurations and an extensive numerical study of 3D slope configurations.;Finally, it was found that buildings can have a measurable effect on the seismic response in their vicinity. The distance over which the effect can be detected may be about twice the plan dimensions of the building. These effects should be considered when performing seismic microzonation studies.;Key words: topography, amplification, building code, earthquake, microtremors, HVSR, numerical modeling, acceleration, 3D response. |
