Soil-structure interaction effects in single bridge piers founded on inclined pile groups

This paper investigates the seismic response of bridge piers founded on inclined pile groups in different soil deposits, evaluating effects of soil-structure interaction induced by different pile group geometries and piles inclinations. Analyses are performed in the frequency domain by means of the direct approach taking advantage of a numerical model developed by the authors for the analysis of inclined pile groups. Both the superstructure and piles are modelled with beam elements and the soil is schematized as a visco-elastic medium constituted by independent infinite horizontal layers. The soil-pile and the pile-soil-pile interaction are captured in the frequency domain by means of elastodynamic Green's functions that also allow including the hysteretic and radiation damping. The significance of kinematic stress resultants in piles, the foundation filtering effect and the rotational component of the input motion due to the coupled roto-translational behaviour of the soil-foundation system are also investigated; to this purpose kinematic interaction analyses are performed. These analyses revealed essential for the understanding of the general phenomena governing the dynamic response of the whole soil-foundation-superstructure systems. Results of numerical investigations highlight that conventional design approaches suggested by codes do not provide reliable predictions of the superstructure displacements and stress resultants.