Model Tests and FE-Modelling of Dynamic Soil-Structure Interaction

The forces applied to a structure from the soil ground during an earthquake and the dynamic response of a structure are problems that are not well understood. In recent years, seismic design technology aided by numerical simulation is under active development. Successful improvement of the accuracy and reliability of numerically simulated results relies on a clear understanding of the seismic force transmission mechanism between the soil and a structure associated with mechanical properties of soil. In this study, laboratory shaking tests were conducted using the unique apparatus designed to have a structure move only by its inertial force and the lateral earth pressure that comes from surrounding sandy soils. The earth pressure at the structure surface and the relative displacement between the soil and the structure were measured in the experiments under various conditions. A new Finite Element interface model for sandy soil-structure dynamic interaction is proposed from the experimental results. Estimated seismic responses of a bridge pier calculated by the proposed interface model, conventional linear elastic model and tension cut-off model are compared.