Seismic performance of column-bearing silo structure with granular materials considering SSI effect

Abstract

This paper investigates the effects of different silo height-to-diameter ratios, different storage categories and different site soil categories on the seismic performance of column-bearing concrete grain vertical silo structures considering soil-structure dynamic interaction (SSI). The study reveals more comprehensive response mechanism of soil-pile-silo structure with grain storage system under earthquake actions. The numerical results indicate that for the full silo models with different height-diameter ratios, the SSI effect could reduce the absolute acceleration response, and the reducing rate at the top of the support column will be slightly larger than that of the top of the silo. In addition, the greater the height-diameter ratio, the more obvious the absolute acceleration damping effect of the SSI effect. The SSI effect has the greatest damping effect on the absolute acceleration response when the silo is filled with wheat. Moreover, the degree of softness and hardness of the soil affects the shock absorption effect of SSI on the absolute acceleration and elastic–plastic acceleration of the silo. The softer the soil, the more obvious the shock absorption effect of SSI. More interestingly, among the parameters of height-diameter ratio, storage material type and dynamic shear modulus of soil, the height-diameter ratio has the greatest influence on the seismic response and hysteretic energy dissipation performance of the column-bearing silo structure considering SSI effect, followed by the foundation soil. Dynamic shear modulus and the storage material category have the least influence.