Discrete model for dynamic through-the-soil coupling of 3-D foundations and structures

An efficient discrete model for predicting the dynamic through-the-soil interaction between adjacent rigid, surface foundations supported by a homogeneous, isotropic and linear elastic half-space is presented. The model utilizes frequency-independent springs and dashpots, and the foundation mass, for the consideration of soil–foundation interaction. The through-the-soil coupling of the foundations is attained by frequency-independent stiffness and damping functions, developed in this work, that interconnect the degrees of freedom of the entire system of foundations. The dynamic analysis of the resulting coupled system is performed in the time domain and includes the time lagging effects of coupled dynamic input due to wave propagation using an appropriate modification of the Wilson-θ method. The basic foundation interaction model is also extended to the evaluation of coupled building-foundation systems.