Direct approach to seismic soil-structure-interaction analysis: Building group case

Abstract

Nowadays, the new and emerging concept of seismic structural design, the so-called performance-based design, requires careful consideration of all aspects involved in structural analysis. One of the most important aspects of structural analysis is Soil-Structure Interaction (SSI). Such interaction may alter the dynamic characteristics of structures and consequently may be beneficial or detrimental to the performance of structures. In order to observe such effects we study the seismic response of an idealized small city composed of five equally spaced, five storey reinforced concrete buildings anchored in a soft soil layer overlaid by a rock half-space. Our results show response amplification of the buildings in the near field in accordance with the results observed in similar cases. © 2009 Praise Worthy Prize S.r.l. - All rights reserved.