Soil Densification Effect on The Seismic Response of Structures Taking into Consideration Soil-Structure Interaction

Abstract

Soil compaction is a considerable construction activity to ensure safety and durability, notably in the transportation industry. This technique of compaction increases soil bulk density and soil strength, while decreases porosity, aggregate stability index, soil hydraulic conductivity, and nutrient availability, thus reduces soil health. Consequently, it lowers crop performance via stunted aboveground growth coupled with reduced root growth. Therefore, if the characteristics of the soil are changed, it will affect the response of the structures. In this work, the effect of improving soil characteristics by compaction techniques on the dynamic response of foundations and structures, taking into consideration the effect of soil-structure interaction was determined. The dynamic response of foundations is presented by the impedances functions, which are determined numerically by the CONAN program, based on the cone method. In addition, the response of the structure will be presented according to the lateral displacement in each level of it. This motion vector is a function of the forces in each level; for this, the equivalent static method was applied, which allows to calculate the seismic force at the base and its distribution on the height of the structure. The results obtained show the efficiency of soil densification on the seismic response of MDOF frames.