Influence of the soil properties on the seismic response of structures

The objective of this study is to model the interaction between a concrete wall and a soil under seismic loading using the finite element method. The stiffness matrix of the soil is integrated to that of the structure to formulate the stiffness matrix of the entire system. To simulate the dynamic of soil–structure interaction, a numerical program was developed for this concern. So to resolve governed dynamic equations, the central difference method is used to compute displacement, velocity, and acceleration fields of soil, interface medium, and concrete wall nodes. The significance of soil foundation–structure interaction over fixed-base structure analysis showed that the integration of soil and foundation produces considerable changes in the seismic response. Obtained results using the soil–structure model and impedance functions are compared to those of fixed-base structure. The purpose is to calibrate the effects of soil properties and the soil–structure interaction on the seismic response of the structure and on the interaction medium.