The Earthquake Engineering Online Archive

Earthquake Analysis of Interacting Ground-Structure Systems

Rukos, Eduardo A.; Wilson, Edward L.

UCB/SESM-1971/09, Dept. of Civil Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, 1971-05, 154 pages (535/R84/1971)

In this study selected topics concerning earthquake analysis of structures are investigated. Particular emphasis is placed on the ground-structure interaction problem. This interaction is commonly disregarded. The main reason is the complexity of the resulting model when included. The first part of the work is concerned with the dynamic analysis of one-dimensional wave systems. Since soil profiles can be idealized as such systems, some insight is gained from their behavior during earthquakes. This in turn will prove useful when the ground-structure interaction problem is attempted. In the second part a finite element is developed for the analysis of long structures with constant cross-sections subjected to loads constant along their length. This kind of problem is encountered in the earthquake analysis of tunnels, channels, and earth dams when the excitation is acting perpendicular to the cross-section of the structure. Finally, in the third part the interaction of ground and structure during an earthquake is considered and a method of analysis is proposed.

Available online: http://nisee.berkeley.edu/documents/SEMM/SEMM-71-09.pdf (5 MB)