What it calculates
It calculates 1D response to vertically propagating SH waves with linear, equivalent-linear and nonlinear analysis options.
- Surface acceleration and response spectrum
- Stress and strain histories with depth
- Hysteresis and convergence history for nonlinear runs
- The effective-stress option is available only for nonlinear analysis
Inputs
An analysis needs a layered soil profile, a base boundary condition and a time history.
- Layer thickness, unit weight, shear-wave velocity and material model
- Acceleration record in CSV or PEER AT2 format
- Analysis settings such as base condition, damping and time step
- Darendeli curves require PI, OCR, mean effective stress, frequency and cycle count
Outputs and reports
The results view combines surface motion, spectral results and layer response at selected depths.
- Surface acceleration, 5% damped PSA and transfer function
- Stress-strain loops and critical layer
- XLSX and JSON exports, plus CSV, HDF5 and SQLite result files
Validation
GeoWave documentation reports analytical checks and motion comparisons with separate scopes.
- The linear Profile 2 check reports 1.4% fundamental-frequency error and 0.014 transfer-function NRMSE; Profile 1 reports 0.8% and 0.093.
- The documented 22-motion equivalent-linear comparison with a widely used commercial 1D program reports GoF 9.95 ± 0.03, acceleration correlation 0.992 ± 0.003 and PSA NRMSE 0.032 ± 0.008.
- The GQH·r2 nonlinear comparison reports PSA NRMSE 0.119. The documented end-to-end effective-stress parity ratios, GMP 1.25 and VD 2.76, are outside the target band, so full-pipeline parity is not claimed.
Who it is for
GeoWave is intended for geotechnical and earthquake engineers performing site-response analysis.
- Engineers working with layered soil profiles
- Technical teams reviewing analysis results alongside model and input choices
Frequently asked questions
Which analysis method should I choose?
The documented guidance uses equivalent-linear analysis for standard design-level site response, nonlinear analysis for stress and strain demand, and linear analysis for screening and analytical checks.
Does the base-motion choice affect the result?
Yes. Whether surface motion is interpreted as outcrop or within depends on the selected base boundary condition.
Does residual strain mean settlement?
No. The documentation notes that residual strain can reflect numerical baseline or integration effects and should not be interpreted as settlement by itself.
Can I calibrate a Darendeli curve without PI?
If PI is unavailable, verify the calibration input first; the source guide advises against relying on the result as a design input in that case.