Effects of site dynamic characteristics on soil–structure interaction (II): Incident P and SV waves

In-plane, dynamic soil–structure interaction (SSI) for incident-plane P and SV waves is analyzed for a two-dimensional (2D) model of a shear wall on a rigid foundation that is embedded in a soil layer over bedrock. The indirect-boundary-element method (IBEM) and non-singular Green's functions of distributed loads on inclined lines are used to solve the problem. Although this in-plane, dynamic SSI problem displays characteristics similar to those of 2D, out-of-plane, dynamic SSI, which was studied in our previous work, there exist some significant differences. In analyses of the SSI of the full-scale structures, which recorded strong earthquake shaking, our interpretations are often based on the peaks in the transfer functions of observed structural response. It is shown in this paper how the amplitudes and the frequencies of those peaks are affected by the relative rigidity and thichness of the soil layer below the foundation.

► Effects of site conditions on peaks of Soil–Structure Interaction (SSI) spectra.
► SSI is studied in two dimensions for rigid foundation and incident P and SV waves.
► Calculations are formulated via indirect boundary-element method (IBEM).
► We show that SSI analyses must consider amplification caused by site conditions.