Effects of Soil Stiffness on Seismic Response of Buildings Considering Soil-Pile-Structure Interaction

Abstract

© 2017 19th ICSMGE Secretariat. All rights reserved. In this study, a fifteen-storey moment resisting building sitting on an end-bearing pile foundation in soil socketed in rock is selected in conjunction with four values of shear wave velocity. Effects of corresponding shear strength are studied through numerical modelling using finite difference software FLAC3D. Fully nonlinear dynamic analysis under the influence of Northridge earthquake is performed. The results indicate that soil plasticity should be taken into account while conducting dynamic analysis considering soil-pile-structure interaction. However, the dynamic response of the structure regarding base shear, foundation slab rotation, pile lateral deflection and structure lateral deflection is sensitive to the effect of shear strength with the increase in shear wave velocity and corresponding shear modulus. Also, the results show that the dynamic response of structures sitting on end-bearing pile foundations depends not only on base shear attracted by the superstructure but also on the foundation slab rotation. Therefore, to perform realistic seismic analysis and to conduct reasonable seismic design of mid-rise building resting on end-bearing pile foundations, the consideration of foundation slab rotation is essential