On the FEMA440 Regulations for Soil-Structure Interaction

Abstract eng:
The accuracy of dynamic parameters of soil-structure systems with surface and embedded foundations, proposed by FEMA440 regulations, is investigated in the elastic range. This is done through comparison of implicit transfer functions behind the regulations with those computed directly from a benchmark soil-structure model. The model consists of a single degree of freedom super-structure model resting on frequency dependent soil springs and dashpots. The concept of Cone Models is used for soil impedances. Both kinematic interaction and inertial interaction effects are considered. The results are compared within a wide range of non-dimensional parameters which control the whole problem. It is concluded that for surface foundations FEMA440 overestimates the system’s response in almost all practical cases. For the case of embedded foundations, however, the result strongly depends on the soil type and the aspect ratio of the building.

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