ABSTRACT
Figure 2b shows a model anchor intended to connect the crest of a slope to the rest of the soil mass with the intention of reducing the accelerations at the crest and consequently reduce the longitudinal stress in the model structure at the surface. A model
1 INTRODUCTION
Concentration of damage of buildings at or near the edge of hard or dense natural slopes has been observed during a number of recent earthquakes. This has been attributed to topographic amplification, whereby reflections of earthquake shear waves converge and superpose at the crests of slopes to create areas of greater acceleration. Thus, earthquakes of low or moderate acceleration level occurring in mountainous terrain can cause disproportionate damage to structures. There are many examples of this in the literature, as shown by, e.g. Ashford & Sitar (2002), Assimaki & Gazetas (2004) and Athanasopoulos et al. (1999). Topographic amplification itself has led to numerical studies by, e.g., Assimaki & Kausel (2007) and (Paolucci) 2002.
