A new hybrid method for three-dimensional dynamic soil-structure interaction.

A hybrid method based on three-dimensional finite element idealization in the near field and a semi-analytic scheme using the principles of wave propagation in multilayered half space in the far field is proposed for dynamic soil-structure interaction analysis. It combines the advantages of both the numerical and analytical techniques. A structure resting on the surface or embedded in a multilayered soil-medium and subjected to vertically propagating plane waves is analyzed by using the method. An important aspect of the soil-structure interaction problem considered is the presence of waves scattered from the soil-structure interface and geometrical irregularities in the soil. The dynamic response of an embedded structure of rectangular cross section to a vertically propagating compressional pulse is solved as an example problem. The proposed method is verified by comparison of its predictions with those from a finite element procedure with absorbing boundaries, and from an analytical solution. The results from the hybrid method compare well with those from the other two, with closer correlation between the hybrid and analytical methods