The relaxation of the first seven atomic layers of Cu(117) was
determined by quantitative low-energy electron diffraction (LEED).
Intensity vs. energy spectra, I(E), were measured for the primary
beam at near-normal incidence to the (001) terraces. The data
collected cover a cumulative energy range of 3200 eV. Computation
of I(E) spectra was performed in angular momentum representation
considering the surface as a single atomic slab. For the
variation of parameters tensor LEED was applied. The experimental
spectra are well reproduced over the entire energy range even for
regions of low intensity. The first four layer spacings relax in
a way to smooth the surface corrugation whereby the relative
changes 
d/d0
amount (from top) to -13 %,
-2.0 %, -10 % and +7 %. This leads to a reduction of the vertical
distance between step and corner atoms by 0.13 Å. Comparison
with experimental results for Cu(115) shows that this modification
of the step shape is rather independent of the terrace width.
Comparison to theoretical results exhibits, however, some
discrepancies with respect to both the
expansion/contraction-sequence and the amplitudes of the layer
relaxations.