The role of soil in structure response of a building damaged by the 26 December 2018 earthquake in Italy

Abstract

Local soil conditions can significantly modify the seismic motion expected on the soil surface. In most cases, the indications concerning the influence of the underlying soil provided by the in-force European and Italian Building Codes underestimate the real seismic amplification effects. For this reason, numerical analyses of the local seismic response (LSR) have been encouraged to estimate the soil filtering effects. These analyses are generally performed in free-field conditions, ignoring the presence of superstructures and, therefore, the effects of dynamic soil-structure interaction (DSSI). Moreover, many studies on DSSI are characterised by a sophisticated modelling of the structure and an approximate modelling of the soil (using springs and dashpots at the foundation level); while others are characterised by a sophisticated modelling of the soil and an approximate modelling of the structure (considered as a simple linear elastic structure or a single degree of freedom system). This paper presents a set of finite element method (FEM) analyses on a fully-coupled soil-structure system for a reinforced concrete building located in Fleri (Catania, Italy). The building, designed for gravity loads only, was severely damaged during the 26 December 2018 earthquake. The soil was modelled considering an equivalent visco-elastic behaviour, while the structure was modelled assuming both the visco-elastic and visco-inelastic behaviours. The comparison made between the results of the FEM analyses and the observed damage is valuable. • Soil filtering phenomena are a key aspect for structure seismic response. • FEM modelling of the soil cannot ignore the dynamic properties of the bedrock. • Modelling of the structures should be performed in the inelastic range. • Earthquake damage is not necessarily a "physical" process for vulnerable buildings. • FEM analyses of DSSI must be encouraged for all buildings.