Preliminary site classification of free-field strong motion stations based on Wenchuan earthquake records

Abstract

During the great Wenchuan earthquake, about 460 permanent free-field stations in National Strong Motion Observation Network System (NSMONS) of China captured the main shock acceleration records. These records can be applied to site effect analyses, and then the site classification of those permanent stations can be carried out firstly, which will served as the fundamental information for further research. In this paper, the site of near-fault stations is classified by horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) method according to the site class description of Japan earthquake resistant design code and response spectral shapes (RSS) method following the site class description of the 1997 Uniform Building Code (UBC) provisions. Then based on the detailed borehole data of those free-field stations, the equivalent shear wave velocity and overburden thickness are calculated and the site classifications are given by Chinese code for seismic design of buildings. Furthermore, for the stations having successful microtremor test data, the site dominant periods are computed to verify the results of site classification. Finally, combined with all the above results, the recommended site classes of near-fault permanent free-field stations are given.