Developments in Dynamic Soil-Structure Interaction

For the last couple of decades it has been recognized that the foundation material on which a structure is constructed may interact dynamically with the structure during its response to dynamic excitation to the extent that the stresses and deflections in the system are modified from the values that would have been developed if it had been on a rigid foundations. This phenomenon is examined in detail in this book. The basic solutions are examined in time and frequency domains and finite element and boundary element solutions compared. Experimental investigations aimed at correlation and verification with theory are described in detail. A wide variety of SSI problems may be formulated and solved approximately-using simplified models in lieu of rigorous procedures; the book gives a good overview of these methods. A feature often lacking in other texts on the subject, is the way in which dynamic behaviour of soil can be modelled. Two contributors have addressed this problem from the computational and physical characterization viewpoints. The book illustrates practical areas with the analysis of tunnel linings and stiffness and damping of pile groups. Finally, design code provisions and derivation of design input motions complete this thorough overview of SSI in conventional engineering practice. Taken in its entirety the book, written by 15 well known experts, gives an in-depth review of soil-structure interaction across a broad spectrum of aspects usually not covered in a single volume. It should be a readily usable reference for the research worker as well as the advance level practitioner.