GROUND VIBRATIONS DUE TO A RECTANGULAR HARMONIC LOAD

The transmission of vibrations in the vicinity of a rectangular harmon ic vertical load, acting on a damped elastic layer overlying a damped elastic half-space of different material, is investigated theoreticall y, by using a semi-analytical approach. The solution involves a double Fourier transform with respect to two of the space variables of Navie r's elastodynamic equations. The inverse double Fourier transform is a chieved with the FFT algorithm. Results presented include transformed displacements in the wavenumber domain, actual displacements in the ne ar field of the load, and the direct receptance at the load. Compariso ns are made with results for a half-space and a layer over a rigid fou ndation, and with some experimental results. (C) 1998 Academic Press L imited.