The numerical simulation of soil–structure interaction containing sustainable materials

Abstract

As a result of urban transformation activities, natural disasters, regional and global wars, billions of tonnes of waste concrete occur. Therefore, the remediation process of waste concrete is one of the critical research topics of recent years. The sustainability concept provides a primary bridge between the demand for natural concrete material and the remediation process of waste concrete. Recycled aggregate and recycled concrete aggregate, which may be named sustainable materials, are obtained by the recycling process of waste concrete. Many experimental and numerical studies have been conducted in recent years to show that this sustainable material is an alternative product to natural aggregate. In this study, a comprehensive numerical simulation of foundation beams resting on soils incorporating conventional and sustainable materials has been performed. The foundation beams considered include some with conventional concrete properties and some with sustainable concrete properties. Additionally, the material conditions of soils are assessed, using six different mixed recycled aggregates as filling material. Based on the numerical simulation, the deflection, rotation, bending moment, shear force and spring force capacities of conventional and sustainable foundation beams resting on soils exhibited slightly different behaviour depending on the recycled concrete aggregate and mixed recycled aggregate ratios. Finally, comparing the numerical simulation results of soil–structural interaction members incorporating conventional and sustainable materials indicated that the soil–structure interaction modeling process applied to conventional foundation beams resting on soils is also valid for sustainable members.