IBEM-FEM model of a piled plate within a transversely isotropic half-space

Abstract

This paper presents a numerical model of the vertical time-harmonic response of a piled-raft foundation under external and seismic excitations. The surface raft is a circular, rigid plate on the surface of the soil, while the pile is represented by a classical finite element bar model embedded within the soil. The soil is modeled as a homogeneous, transversely isotropic, viscoelastic half-space. The fully coupled response of the plate–pile–half-space system is modeled through a superposition of Green’s functions, in the framework of the indirect boundary element method. The article investigates the response of the coupled system for different sets of constitutive parameters, especially with regards to the effectiveness of the pile in reducing vibration amplitudes of the surface plate.