Influence of frequency-dependent dynamic soil stiffness and interacting parameters on elastic and inelastic response of soil-structure systems

Abstract

In seismic analysis and design of structures, it is generally assumed that the soil beneath the foundation is rigid and, thus, its flexibility is not taken into account. Soil flexibility can affect the response of structures through complex phenomenon of dynamics soil-structure interaction effect. It is believed that effective soil and structural parameters could in some case significantly influence seismic response of structures in different manners and conditions. In this study, through an intensive parametric study, the effect of key parameters of soil-structures for both constant-strength and constant-ductility conditions are examined. In this regard, the effect of foundation mass, structure and foundation mass moment of inertia, structure-to-soil stiffness ratio, structural aspect ratio, the ratio of structural mass to soil mass, and, more importantly, the effect of frequency-dependent soil dynamic stiffness on the elastic and inelastic response of superstructures are investigated. The results of this study indicate that excitation frequency dependence, foundation mass and mass moment of inertia have insignificant effects on the base shear coefficient, displacement amplification factor of soil-shallow foundation systems. Nevertheless, other parameters such as soil foundation-to-structure mass ratio and dimensionless frequency and aspect ratio could have considerable effects on the response of the soil-shallow foundation SDOF systems.

Keywords

• soil-structure interaction
• displacement amplification factor
• base shear
• cone model
• excitation frequency