Analytical design models for geotechnical seismic isolation systems

Abstract

Geotechnical Seismic Isolation (GSI) can be defined as a new category of seismic isolation techniques that involve the dynamic interaction between the structural system and geo-materials. Whilst the mechanism of various GSI systems and their performance have already been demonstrated through different research methods, there is a missing link between fundamental research and engineering practice. This paper aims to initiate the development in this direction. A new suite of equivalent-linear foundation stiffness and damping models under the same framework is proposed for four GSI configurations, one of which is a novel combination of two existing ones. The exact solutions for the equivalent dynamic properties of flexible-base systems have also been derived that explicitly include the foundation inertia and the strain-dependent equivalent damping of foundation materials, which are both significant for GSI systems. The application of the proposed analytical design models has been illustrated through response history analyses and a detailed hand-calculation design procedure has also been outlined and demonstrated.