Techno Press
Techno Press

Structural Engineering and Mechanics
  Volume 20, Number 4, July10 2005 , pages 421-434
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12989/sem.2005.20.4.421
 


Numerical studies on the effects of the lateral
boundary on soil-structure interaction in homogeneous
soil foundations
Z. N. Li, Q. S. Li and M. L. Lou

 
Abstract
    In this paper, the finite element method is applied to investigate the effect of the lateral boundary in homogenous soil on the seismic response of a superstructure. Some influencing factors are presented and discussed, and several parameters are identified to be important for conducting soil-structure interaction experiments on shaking tables. Numerical results show that the cross-section width L, thickness H, wave propagation velocity and lateral boundaries of soil layer have certain influences on the computational accuracy. The dimensionless parameter L/H is the most significant one among the influencing factors. In other words, a greater depth of soil layer near the foundation should be considered in shaking table tests as the thickness of the soil layer increases, which can be regarded as a linear relationship approximately. It is also found that the wave propagation velocity in soil layer affects the numerical accuracy and it is suggested to consider a greater depth of the soil layer as the wave propagation velocity increases. A numerical study on a soil-structure experimental model with a rubber ring surrounding the soil on a shaking table is also conducted. It is found the rubber ring has great effect on the soil-structure interaction experiments on shaking table. The experimental precision can be improved by reasonably choosing the elastic parameter and width of the rubber ring.
 
Key Words
    soil-structure interaction; finite element method; earthquake engineering; shaking table test.
 
Address
Z. N. Li; College of Civil Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan, 410082, China
College of the Architectural and Civil Engineering, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, 325027, China

Q. S. Li; Department of Building and Construction, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China

M. L. Lou; State Key Laboratory for Disaster Reduction in Civil Engineering, Research Institute of Structural
Engineering and Disaster Reduction, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
 

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