Ground Shock Due to Rayleigh Waves from Sonic Booms

Expressions are derived for the steady state vertical displacements produced at the surface of an elastic half-space by a line load of finite length, which moves with a constant velocity in a direction either parallel or perpendicular to its length. These expressions are used to estimate the response of structures to the seismic disturbances produced by a sonic boom which moves at speeds close to the speed of surface waves in the medium. Shock amplification factors for the accelerations imparted to the structure are obtained for a range of parameters. The results show that the accelerations produced at these speeds are generally quite small and that the resonance peak which occurs when the applied load moves with the surface wave speed is extremely narrow.