Soil-structure Interaction Phenomena Research Articles

Soil Structure Interaction of R.C. Building with Basement Resting on Pile Raft Foundation

Abstract: Historically, Basements or underground stories were built in a castle to use as a dunged on oar store room. However, in modern construction, the restrain to go deeper below the grade level in term so basements which can be utilized for parking, shopping mall or combination of both. In such cases, dynamic soil properties have a significant effect of activating dynamic soil structure interaction phenomena on during earthquake. Here in present study an effort is made to study the behavior of a building by varying number so basements considering dynamic soil structure interaction. Issues like considering higher frequency modes, influence zone to be considered for dynamic soil structure interaction, behavior of building with basements under different water level conditions for two different types of layered soil and their comparison with fixed based structure is deal with. It is observed that dynamic soil structure interaction can significant change the behavior of the building and hence it is recommended to perform dynamic soil structure interaction for building with multiple basements. In addition, some important recommendations are provided at the end to serve as a guide for researchers and practicing engineers.

Influence of Subsoil and Building Material Properties on Mine-Induced Soil–Structure Interaction Effect

Soil–structure interaction (SSI) refers to the dynamic interaction between a structure and the surrounding soil on which it rests. The behavior of the soil can significantly affect the response of the building structure. In the context of civil engineering and structural analysis, SSI becomes particularly important when considering the response of structures to dynamic loads such as earthquakes or so-called paraseismic loads, e.g., mining tremors. Several factors contribute to SSI. Soil and building structure material properties, foundation type, and loading conditions are the most important parameters. The article concerns SSI in the case of mining rock bursts in Poland. The influence of changes in site material conditions and building material properties on the SSI phenomenon was investigated. A few variants of different properties of typical construction materials (brick, reinforced concrete, and cellular concrete) in the case of selected representative building structure were considered. The subsoil material properties from the wide range were also taken into account. Numerical three-dimensional finite element method (FEM) analysis was applied. The adopted models of the soil-structure system were verified by data from in situ experimental vibration measurements. A significant influence of the subgrade material and the building structure material on the SSI was demonstrated.

Effects of the soil–structure interaction and seismic vertical component on the response of a concrete surge tank

The seismic safety of hydroelectric power plants is of high concern in earthquake-prone regions. Of specific interest to this paper is the seismic performance assessment of a critical item of a typical plant, which is represented by the surge tank, via dynamic analyses both using rigorous and complex models, and both recurring to different assumptions and simplifications. Dynamic time–history analysis, considering non-linearities in the soil but constraining the structure to remain in the elastic uncracked state, is recognized as a suitable analysis method for the problem at hand. In this context, the contribution focuses on a specific Italian case study with the aim of assessing the influence of two main modeling assumptions that engineers could include: (i) considering vs neglecting the soil–structure interaction phenomena; (ii) considering vs ignoring the vertical component of the ground motion. To this aim, 7 seismic inputs have been defined starting from compatibility criteria with a spectrum provided by a site-specific seismic-tectonic study. First, they have been used in a non-linear propagation analysis, to assess the waveform propagation from the bedrock up to the foundation basis. Then, 3D Finite Element (FE) analyses of an empty surge tank have been conducted to assess the effect of the dynamic soil–structure interaction on its seismic response. The effects of the vertical component of the ground motion have been investigated, thus providing some guidance on the modeling choices that should be adopted for a safe assessment of the seismic performance of such kind of structures.

High-Speed Railway Bridge and Pile Foundation: A Review

High-speed railway is trending in developing countries for economic reasons, mobility in the aftermath of COVID-19, and environmental concerns. The high-speed railway operators continuously improve the operational speed to transport more passengers in less time. However, increasing the train loads at high speed might increase the dynamic loads of bridges and affect their pile foundation. A stiffer railway bridge is mandatory for high-speed train safety and passenger riding comfort. However, a flexible bridge is ideal for responding to earthquakes. Thus, these two objectives are conflicting. This review paper provides a bibliometric review aiming to determine the published studies by year and by country, and to visualize different research trends in cluster maps using the VOSviewer software, summarizing the published research for high-speed railway bridges starting from 1964. The review also extracted information from the latest studies by summarizing some essential objectives, useful methodologies, and notable findings that might be applicable to future studies. In conclusion, there is a need for further research to fill the knowledge gap in the study related to the soil–structure interaction phenomenon considering the performance-based seismic design of a high-speed railway bridge on a monopile foundation in the event of lateral spreading due to soil liquefaction.

Three-Dimensional Modeling of Soil-Structure Interaction for a Bridge Founded on Caissons under Seismic Conditions

In recent years, the urgent need to increase the safety standards of viaducts and bridges—under static and dynamic loading conditions—has required the development of advanced modeling approaches able to accurately predict the expected behavior of such infrastructures in a reliable manner. This paper presents a comparison between the adoption of a simplified modeling approach, widely used in the current practice, where the response of the structural system neglects the effects of the soil-structure interaction (SSI) phenomenon (considering the base of the structure fixed at the ground surface) and a rigorous modeling approach that considers the full 3D problem with all the components of the system (superstructure, foundation, and soil), through a finite element model. The pier of a real-world viaduct in central Italy was considered, with the aim of starting from a specific case study with foundation characteristics that are frequently found in viaducts in Italy, to obtain results that can be generalized to a wide range of similar types. Its behavior was evaluated both in the dynamic range of small oscillations and in the field of the seismic response to low and strong motion events. The results show that, in terms of seismic demand, the fixed-based model appears more conservative, but it significantly underestimates both elastic and residual displacements and rotations

Surrogate model based on ANN for the evaluation of the fundamental frequency of offshore wind turbines supported on jackets

The design of the support structure of offshore wind turbines (OWT) requires the dynamic characterization of the complete structural system, including the soil-foundation subsystem. To minimize resonance phenomena, the structural natural frequencies should be sufficiently apart from those that characterize the different loads. The obtention of natural frequencies can be a computationally expensive procedure, more so if dynamic soil-structure interaction (SSI) phenomena are included. In order to reduce the computational cost, a surrogate model based on Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) is proposed to estimate the fundamental frequency of the assembly formed by the wind turbine, the jacket support structure and the pile foundation. The training dataset is obtained by a finite element substructuring approach in which the dynamic SSI is incorporated through impedance functions obtained from a continuous model. The ability of the proposed ANN-based surrogate model to reproduce the influence that the main variables of the problem have on the fundamental frequency in a sufficiently precise way is shown by comparing its predictions and the results of the finite elements model for new configurations. The high accuracy and significant computational cost reduction justify the use of the surrogate model in applications where a large number of evaluations is required.

Seismic response of large offshore wind turbines on monopile foundations including dynamic soil–structure interaction

This paper presents the results of a study on the dynamic and seismic response of the support structures of three reference Offshore Wind Turbines (OWT) of increasing rated power, founded to the seabed through monopile foundations. Thus, the structural behaviour of the NREL 5 MW, IEA Wind 10 MW and IEA Wind 15 MW reference OWTs under seismic input is analysed. To do so, a model based on the aero-hydro-servo-elastic OpenFAST open-software code, modified to include dynamic Soil–Structure Interaction (SSI) and input ground motion, is employed. Dynamic SSI phenomena are incorporated through lumped parameter models fitted to the impedances computed using an advanced boundary elements–finite elements model of the soil–foundation system in which the monopile is discretized as a steel pipe buried in the unbounded seabed. The fore–aft and side-to-side responses of the systems are computed under power production, parked and emergency shutdown operating conditions considering different earthquakes and arrival times. It is found that even low and moderate intensity earthquakes can produce significant increases in the structural demands of large OWTs. There exists a clear tendency for SSI to be beneficial when the size of the OWT increases.

Soil Structure Interaction in High-Rise Buildings for Dynamic Loads

Soil-structure interaction(SSI) analysis is the study of the dynamic response of a structure as influenced by the interaction with the surrounding soil. The SSI response is sensitive to the characteristics of the soil, structures, and ground motion, as well as the depth of embedment. The concept of soil-structure interaction was introduced , and the research methods were discussed. This report presents a synthetic of the body of knowledge contained in SSI literature, which has been distilled into a concise narrative and harmonized under a consistent set of variables and units. Specific techniques are described by which SSI phenomena can be simulated in engineering practice, and recommendations for modeling seismic soil-structure interaction effects on building structures are provided. An attempt was made to summarize the all terms in this area of study.

Performance of Building with Basements Under Seismic Excitation Considering Soil Structure Interaction

In modern construction, there is a trend to go deeper below the grade level in terms of basements which can be utilized for parking, shopping malls or a combination of both. In such cases, dynamic soil properties have a significant effect of activating dynamic soil structure interaction phenomenon during earthquake. Here in present study an effort is made to study the behavior of a building by varying five and three number of basements considering dynamic soil structure interaction. Issues like influence zone to be considered for dynamic soil structure interaction, behavior of building with basements under different water level conditions for two different types of layered soil and their comparison with fixed based structure for a real-life structure is dealt with. It is observed that dynamic soil structure interaction can significantly change the behavior and also the failure pattern of the building and hence it is recommended to perform dynamic soil structure interaction for building with multiple basements.

Full-scale long-term monitoring of mine-induced vibrations for soil-structure interaction research using dimensionless response spectra

This article presents the application of data from the real-time full-scale long-term monitoring of mine-induced vibrations in one of the mining districts in Poland in the study of the soil-structure interaction (SSI) effect. Mining-related surface vibrations constitute a burdensome and essential problem in mining areas all over the world because underground exploitation results in so-called induced seismicity with a negative vibration impact on the environment and may damage structures. Mining tremors are similar to natural earthquakes due to, for example, their randomness, lack of human control, time and place of their occurrence and energy magnitude. As a consequence of the SSI phenomenon, mine-induced vibrations concurrently measured on the free-field near to the building and at the building foundation level may differ significantly. Long-term measurements using dynamic tensometers permit the establishment of strength states in structural elements and the evaluation of the health of materials and structures. Long-term observations also indicate the development of damage over time and its propagation in the structure. Dimensionless response spectra (β) were applied for describing the seismic-type loads from mine-induced tremors – such spectra are found in many design codes. An evaluation of the influence of mining parameters (epicentral distance, energy magnitude, peak ground acceleration) on the process of the transition of ground accelerations to the structure foundations was performed using curves of ratios of β from vibrations recorded concurrently on the free-field and in the building foundation. The strong influence of the rockburst parameters on β curves achieved with the application of free-field and foundation mining-related records is observed. A similar conclusion applies to the ratios of β concerning low-, medium-, and high-rise buildings with different load-bearing systems. Furthermore, based on the results obtained from measurement data, empirical models for the simple estimation of the SSI effect were proposed.

Steady state harmonic response of nonlinear soil-structure interaction problems through the Preisach formalism

Steady state harmonic response of nonlinear soil-structure interaction problems is addressed in this paper. Due to well-known stiffness degradation phenomenon, the steady-state study is referred to small-medium strain condition whereas no significant pore water pressure change is observed (e.g. clayey soils and sands in drained conditions). A novel cyclic hysteretic model based on the Preisach formalism is proposed to describe the cyclic behavior of soil-foundation interaction. Through a harmonic balance procedure, furthermore, the steady state response of nonlinear soil-structure interaction problems is determined. Equivalent amplitude-dependent stiffness and damping have been derived in closed form to reliably describe the nonlinear soil-structure interaction phenomenon. Those expressions are function of the elastic foundation soil stiffness, the maximum attainable horizontal force and the moment capacity of the foundation. Furthermore, handy expressions of the equivalent fundamental period and damping, also dependent from the level of the excitation, are also derived. The proposed hysteretic model, moreover, has the advantage to be easily calibrated to match the modulus reduction and damping curves determined either from numerical or experimental tests. Numerical applications and comparisons with more advanced models and experimental data available in literature are also presented.

3D numerical back-analysis of an instrumented underpass road

PurposeThis paper aims to focus on three-dimensional (3D) numerical simulation of a monitored urban underground road consisting of diaphragm walls supported by one row of temporary steel struts and a cover slab in the central area. In addition to the lateral wall displacements, the analysis focuses on the load development in the struts and the evolution of the total stresses at the soil–wall interface, and highlights the 3D effect on the behavior of the structure.Design/methodology/approachComputation by back-analysis has become an important contribution to the understanding of observed phenomena. In this context, this paper investigates a full 3D numerical back-analysis of diaphragm wall deformation using the finite difference code FLAC3D.FindingsThe instrumentation allows a deep understanding of the ground response and the soil-structure interaction phenomena. It also provides an opportunity to validate numerical models. Using a soil model with simple failure criteria, the wall displacements are strongly influenced by the soil deformation modulus. The strut stiffness considerably influences the wall behavior. The geometrical effects have a significant impact on the induced wall displacements.Originality/valueIn the present study, the main soil geotechnical characteristics were deduced from laboratory and in situ tests. However, Young’s modulus of the soil has been adjusted to take account of the unloading effect. In the same context, the non-linearity of the elastic characteristics of the steel struts has been taken into account by modeling the struts using their experimental stiffness instead of their theoretical rigidity.

A coupled structural and geotechnical assessment of the effects of a landslide on an ancient monastery in Central Italy

Every year landslides occur all over the world as a consequence of specific ground conditions, geomorphological, physical or man-made processes. Such phenomena, often triggered by heavy rainfalls or earthquakes, can affect buildings and infrastructures, causing economic and life losses.This work investigates the effects of a landslide, occurred on the 26th of November 2018, on the Monastry of Santa Scolastica in Subiaco (Rome), one of the most ancient and well-preserved examples of medieval architecture in Central Italy. The evolution of the damage pattern observed on the structure is discussed and related to its different causes, aiming at evaluating if possible worsening effects should or not be ascribed to the occurred landslide or to possible future similar events. The study relies on an accurate geometrical description of both the slope and the building, made possible by advanced survey tools. Most of the analyses used to simulate the history of the events occurred to the Monastry were performed by a three-dimensional non-linear finite element model. Elastic-perfectly plastic constitutive assumptions were adopted for the soil, while the structure was modelled by a three-dimensional anisotropic elastic-perfectly plastic constitutive model, specifically conceived for masonry, accounting for block dimensions and staggering joints effects.Finite element approach has proven to be very effective in the analysis of such a coupled interaction problem, leading to a realistic representation of the interplay between the soil displacements and their effects within the structure. The safety conditions of the structure could then be assessed, and the causes of the damage pattern identified, showing that the slope movement did not worsen the pre-existing damage conditions, which should instead be ascribed to the original soil-structure interaction phenomena occurred when an extension of the original structure had been built.

Impact of Dynamic Soil–Structure Interaction on the Response of Liquid-Storage Tanks

In general, soil-structure interaction phenomena affect considerably the dynamic response of liquid-storage tanks. As it is also observed in the case of ordinary structures, the ground motion transmitted to the superstructure can be amplified (or even de-amplified) due to the presence of the underlying soil layer(s), modifying in parallel the resonant period and the effective damping of structures. Typically, fixed-base liquid storage tanks are characterized by low fundamental periods. However, many such critical structures are located in coastal areas with soft soils, thus, the seismic performance of the superstructure may be notably different compared to stiff soil conditions. Therefore, ignoring soil-structure interaction may lead to unrealistic results. Accordingly, the influence of soil conditions in the dynamic response of liquid-storage tanks is investigated in the present study. More specifically, the dynamic soil-structure interaction of cylindrical steel tanks subjected to different ground motions is numerically examined. The main aim is to investigate the dynamic response and the distress of squat and slender liquid-storage tanks for different foundation conditions. The finite-element models include suitable contact formulations to accurately model the soil-structure interaction for each type of fixity conditions (i.e., anchored and unanchored).

Assessing the soil-structure interaction effects by direct method on the out-of-plane behavior of masonry structures (case study: Arge-Tabriz)

Soil-Structure Interaction (SSI) is an outstanding factor that influences the linear and nonlinear performance of any structure, and it can be taken into account as one of the most important and effective considerations on the seismic behavior of buildings. On the other hand, historic masonry buildings are specific and important structures, which are significantly affected by SSI. Preservation of these buildings is one of the main demands of every culture and every society; and evaluating the behavior of these buildings under natural events such as earthquake, considering aforementioned SSI phenomenon, is an essential step, in this regard. In this paper, the impact of SSI on the out-of-plane behavior of an ancient building in Iran, named Arge-Tabriz, has been investigated utilizing Finite Element Method (FEM). Modal and nonlinear Time-History (TH) analyses results revealed that SSI has a significant decreasing effect on the acceleration response due to removing the effective mode vectors from the resonance area of the acceleration response spectra. On the contrary, SSI has a remarkable increasing impact on the displacement response of Arg’s walls according to the displacement response spectra.

Experimental study and numerical simulation on dynamic soil‐structure interaction under earthquake excitations

Soil-structure interaction (SSI) phenomena subjected to seismic loadings are investigated in this study. Firstly, shaking table tests on dynamic soil‐structure interaction subjected to seismic loadings are carried out, and SSI effects are analyzed through a comparative study between the soil-structure system and the rigid foundation condition. Then, a corresponding numerical model on the SSI tests is presented. In the finite element model, a bounding surface plasticity model and an equivalent linear method are separately used for simulating the nonlinear behavior of soil. It turns out that the calculated results by the bounding surface plasticity model agree much better with the experimental results. Finally, the effects of different soil types and structural properties on soil-structure interaction are discussed by numerical parametric study. The results show that SSI effects noticeably mitigate the dynamic response of structure, and the closer the frequency of superstructure to the soil frequency, the more obvious the effect of soil-structure interaction. With increased shear wave velocity of soil, the impact of soil-structure interaction weakens. It is important for studying the impact of SSI on structural responses and practical engineering design purposes.

Assessment of dynamic soil-structure interaction effects for tall buildings: A 3D numerical approach

Soil-structure interaction (SSI) phenomena are typically studied in the frequency-domain using the substructure approach, involving several simplifications. In this study, SSI effects for a 20-storey building are studied numerically performing time-domain 3D non-linear dynamic analyses, using an elastoplastic nonlinear constitutive model for the soil. Three foundation systems - a relatively shallow, a deeply embedded and a pile foundation - and two soil profiles are investigated and compared. Specifically, relative merits of site amplification, kinematic interaction and inertial interaction are isolated, and the role of foundation deformability and local stratigraphy is highlighted. To isolate such features, the results of the complete 3D models are compared with those provided by 3D numerical analyses of the sole building, of the foundation-soil systems and of the free-field soil deposit.Numerical results show that, for tall buildings, an increase in foundation deformability leads to a decrease of the maximum base shear force (seismic demand), to a higher rigid rotation of the foundation, but not to appreciably higher displacements of the structure. Moreover, possible situations where a (decoupled) substructure approach can lead to a misinterpretation of SSI phenomena are highlighted, as in the case of deep foundations crossing very soft soil layers.In addition, the use of embedded pile elements was proven to be an effective strategy in reducing the computational cost when performing complex 3D simulations of dynamic SSI problems.

A discrete approach for modelling backfill material in masonry arch bridges

Masonry arch bridges form a significant portion of the European transport infrastructure network. Many of these bridges are relatively old but still in service. Increasing vehicle loads and speeds have highlighted the need for reliable estimates of their service condition. Past research demonstrated that load-carrying capacity of a masonry arch bridge is a function of the soil response. However, today, the approaches used for the simulation of soil in masonry arch bridges are over-simplistic and most of them do not take into account the soil-structure interaction phenomena. This paper presents a novel modelling approach, based on the discrete element method, for the simulation of backfill material in masonry arch bridges. According to the method, bricks in the barrel vault are simulated as an assembly of distinct blocks separated by zero thickness interfaces at each mortar joint. Backfill is represented as an assemblage of densely packed discrete irregular deformable particles, here called “inner-backfill particles”. A series of computational models were developed and their results are compared against full-scale experimental test results. A good agreement between the experimental and the numerical results was obtained which demonstrates the huge potential of this novel modelling approach. One of the major advantages of the proposed approach is its ability to simulate the initiation and propagation of cracking in the backfill and arch ring with the application of the external load. It is envisaged that the current modelling approach can be used by bridge assessment engineers for understanding soil pressures and load distribution on the backfill and arch ring and thus develop serviceability criteria for masonry arch bridges of their care.

Effect of pounding on nonlinear seismic response of torsionally coupled steel structures resting on flexible soil

The effects of earthquake induced pounding on the nonlinear response of torsionally coupled buildings resting on flexible soil are investigated in the current study. Three steel moment-resisting frame buildings with the same symmetric plan having 4, 7 and 10 stories are considered. Three-dimensional nonlinear models with different eccentricity ratios are created. The soil-structure interaction phenomenon is taken into account using the Winkler beam on nonlinear springs. The pair of adjacent structures spaced at different clear distances resting on a flexible soil are analyzed under a consistent set of ground motion records and the effects of seismic pounding, torsional eccentricity and soil-structure interaction are studied by comparison of nonlinear dynamic responses of buildings. The results show that the peripheral frames experienced the most critical conditions during earthquake-induced pounding and the combined effect of soil-structure interaction, torsional eccentricity and pounding results in the most severe nonlinear responses of the studied buildings in certain cases.

Shaking table test on the seismic response of large-scale subway station in a loess site: A case study

More and more underground infrastructures have been built in special soil in recent years, especially in the loess area of western China. The loess, as a special soft soil, can have particular influence on the seismic characteristics of underground structures. Therefore, the seismic performance and safety evaluation of underground structures in loess area should be concerned. A series of large-scale shaking table tests were performed to investigate the damage mechanisms of a frame-type subway station structure in a loess site. The test results showed that the model soil softening and the stiffness degradation of the soil-structure system were more serious under stronger input motions. The acceleration response of the soil-structure interaction system in a loess site was more like that of a free-field when input PGA is lower. However, the soil-structure interaction phenomenon was more remarkable both in horizontal and vertical direction when higher PGA was input. The dominant frequency of the input motion had an inverse effect on the lateral soil deformation. The direct-force action mode of the dynamic earth pressure acting on underground structures presents a trumpet-type distribution. Meanwhile, the soil-structure interaction exhibited complex mechanical behavior, and slipping or gapping in test cases with higher PGA may occur. The strain measured in the center pillar and middle slab of the subway station was larger than that in other components. The results provide an insight into how strong ground motion might induce the influence and a possible way to describe quantitatively the damage of subway structure in loess ground.