The Influence of the Shear-wave’s Velocity Variation on the Response of the Geotechnical Models - a Case Study

It is well known that the soil response to the earthquake motion depends on the various parameters describing the layers over the bedrock. We analyze one of the geotechnical models of the Tirana City and try to find the influence of the shear-wave velocity variations over the sedimentary cover on this response. We compare the original model formulated at the end of 80-s in terms of VS with new measurements of this parameter carried out through down-hole and MASW techniques, keeping on the same time other parameters constant. The earthquake motion was propagated through the same column, but with three different VS values for the uppermost part of the section. A different pronounced response was noted for each case, indicating that modification of the old model’s VS parameter on a site-by-site case should be carried out before using the soil response analysis data for design purposes.