In this paper, the transient response of a damped oscillator subjected to c
ycloidal pulses is investigated. The response is computed analytically by c
onsidering viscous and friction damping, and response spectra for relative
and absolute quantities are presented for the linear viscous and sliding os
cillator. The study complements the list of numerous shock spectra mostly p
ublished for the undamped Linear oscillator. Subsequently a numerical proce
dure based on a state-space formulation is developed to compute the respons
e of damped oscillators when subjected to ground motions recorded near the
source of strong earthquakes. It is found that although in several occasion
s such motions resemble to cycloidal pulses, the response of structures wit
h low to moderate periods is substantially affected by the high-frequency f
luctuations that often override the long duration pulse.