Seismic analysis of semi-sine shaped alluvial hills above subsurface circular cavity

In this study, a seismic analysis of semi-sine shaped alluvial hills above a circular underground cavity subjected to propagating oblique SH-waves using the half-plane time domain boundary element method (BEM) was carried out. By dividing the problem into a pitted half-plane and an upper closed domain as an alluvial hill and applying continuity/boundary conditions at the interface, coupled equations were constructed and ultimately, the problem was solved step-by-step in the time domain to obtain the boundary values. After solving some verification examples, a semi-sine shaped alluvial hill located on an underground circular cavity was successfully analyzed to determine the amplification ratio of the hill surface. For sensitivity analysis, the effects of the impedance factor and shape ratio of the hill were also considered. The ground surface responses are illustrated as three-dimensional graphs in the time and frequency domains. The results show that the material properties of the hill and their heterogeneity with the underlying half-space had a significant effect on the surface response.