Analysis of soils and soil–structure interaction

This chapter covers the following topics.

The designer of earthquake-resistant structures needs some understanding of how soils respond during an earthquake; not only is this important for the foundation design itself, but the nature of soil overlaying bedrock has a crucial modifying influence on the seismic hazards posed by the site. This chapter gives an introduction to the subject.

The response of soils to earthquake excitation is highly complex and depends on a large range of factors, many of which cannot be established with any certainty. The discussion that follows is intended to highlight the important features that apply to the most standard cases; often, specialist geotechnical expertise will be needed to resolve design issues encountered in practice.