SEISMIC WAVES & EFFECTS OF

EARTHQUAKE

DANUSHA DINESHAN N
S2 SE
ROLL NO:05
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CONTENTS
• SIESMIC WAVE
P WAVES
S WAVES
LOVE WAVES
RAYLEIGH WAVES
• EFFECTS OF EARTHQUAKE
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SEISMIC WAVE
• The large strain energy released during an earthquake
travels in the form of seismic waves in all directions
through the earth's layers, reflecting and refracting at
each interface .
• These waves can be classified as
• Body waves travel through the interior of elastic
media—consisting of P-waves (primary, longitudinal,
or compressional waves) and S-waves (secondary,
transverse, or shear waves)
• Surface waves are bound to free surfaces—consisting
of L-waves (love waves) and Rayleigh waves.
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ARRIVAL OF SEISMIC WAVE

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P WAVES
• In P-waves, the material particles oscillate back and
forth in the direction of propagation of the wave and
cause alternate compression (push)' and tension
(refraction; pull) of the medium.
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• These waves cause a momentary volume change in

the material through which they pass without any
concomitant momentary shape change in the
material.
• P-waves are similar to sound waves and obey all the
physical laws of science and acoustics.
• P-waves are the fastest, followed in sequence by S-
waves, L-waves, and Rayleigh waves.
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S WAVES
• The material particles in S-waves oscillate at right
angles to the direction of propagation of the wave .
• S-waves do not change the instantaneous volume of
the material through which they pass.
• However, the instantaneous shape of the material gets
distorted.
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• The velocity of S-waves is directly proportional to

the shear strength of the material through which they
pass.
• S-waves do not travel through liquids, as they do not
have any shear stength.
• In association with the effects of L-waves, S-waves
cause maximum damage to structures by rocking the
surface in both horizontal and vertical directions.
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LOVE WAVES
• When the angle of reflection at the base of soil layer is more
than the critical angle, SH-waves are trapped in the soil layer.
• The constructive interference of reflected SH-waves from the
top and bottom of the soil layer generate horizontally
travelling Love waves. The particle motion is in horizontal
plane and transverse to the direction of wave propagation.
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• The velocity of Love wave lies between the velocity

of S-wave in the soil layer and in the half-space.
• The velocity of Love wave with short wavelength is
close to the velocity S-wave in soil layer and velocity
of longer wavelength Love wave is close to the S-
wave velocity in half-space.
• This dependence of velocity on wavelength is termed
dispersion.
• Love waves are always dispersive, because they can
only propagate in a velocity layered medium.
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RAYLEIGH WAVES
• Rayleigh waves make a material particle oscillate in
an elliptical path in a vertical plane (with horizontal
motion along the direction of energy transmission).
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• The velocity of Rayleigh waves depends on Poisson's

ratio of the material through which they pass.
• Rayleigh waves are believed to be the principal
component of ground roll.
• Ground roll is a form of coherent linear noise which
propagates at the surface of earth, at low velocity and
low frequency.
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INTENSITY OF S & LOVE WAVES

• Both S-waves and Love waves can cause significant damage
during an earthquake, but the level of danger they pose
depends on various factors such as the magnitude of the
earthquake, the distance from the earthquake source, the local
geology, and the building's construction.

• S-waves are known to cause more damage to structures than

Love waves because they have a higher amplitude and cause
more significant ground motion. S-waves can cause buildings
to sway back and forth, which can lead to structural damage
and collapse. On the other hand, Love waves tend to cause
more damage to the ground surface and can lead to landslides
and liquefaction of soil.
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EFFECTS OF EARTHQUAKE
• Earthquakes are major hazards and can cause
catastrophic damage.
• They have two types of effects—direct and indirect.
• Direct effects cause damages directly and include
ground motion and faulting.
• Indirect effects cause damages indirectly, as a result
of the processes set in motion by an earthquake.
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DIRECT EFFECTS
• Seismic waves can cause ground displacement that
can damage or destroy structures straddling faults.
• In regions consisting of hills and steep slopes,
earthquakes can cause landslides, mudslides, and
collapses, leading to damage and death.
• Soil vibration can either shake a building off its
foundations, modify its supports, or cause its
foundations to disintegrate.
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• Ground shaking can cause liquefaction, which

reduces the friction between soil particles and causes
buildings to lean and sink into the liquefied soil.
Lateral spreading can also cause cracks, rifting, and
buckling, disrupting foundations and causing bridges
to buckle and service pipelines to break.
• Strong surface seismic waves make the ground heave
and lurch, and damage the structure.
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INDIRECT EFFECTS
• Sieches, similar to small tsunamis, occur as a result
of the sloshing of enclosed water in reservoirs, lakes,
and harbours shaken by earthquakes.
• Earthquakes can cause fire by damaging gas lines and
snapping electric wires.
• Earthquakes can rupture dams and levees (raised
river embankments), causing floods, resulting in
damage to structures and considerable loss of life.
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• Following violent movement of the seafloor, series of

sea waves withextremely long time periods occur.
These waves are called tsunamis.
• Tsunamis are waves with long time periods that
develop into breakers as they approach the shore.
They can be over 15 m high and have dramatic
effects, often crashing over the coast and emptying
harbours or bays. They can travel at speeds of 1,000
kmph.
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REFERENCES
• Earthquake Resistant Design of Structures, S K
Duggal;
• Earthquake Resistant Design Of Structures, Pankaj
Agarwal;
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THANK YOU