| Unit name | Soil-Structure Interaction |
|---|---|
| Unit code | CENGM0076 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Mylonakis |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
Design of Geotechnical Structures (CENG30005) or equivalent |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering |
| Faculty | Faculty of Engineering |
Soil-structure interaction (SSI) is central to the design and performance of a variety of structures including building foundations, retaining walls, tunnels and axially/laterally loaded piles, under both static and dynamic loads. In such problems earth pressures depend on structure movements or deflections, and structure movements or deflections depend on earth pressures. The unit will be primarily coursework based and will provide an opportunity for students to use state-of-the-art geotechnical software that is employed by leading consultants worldwide.
Students will use PLAXIS, a finite element package intended for the two-dimensional analysis of deformation and stability in geotechnical engineering, that is well suited to modelling the interaction between a structure and the soil. After working through example problems contained in the introductory tutorial manual, students will use Plaxis in the analysis of some basic foundation engineering problems involving footings and retaining walls. Parallel analyses will be undertaken using structural analysis software, such as GSA and ABAQUS. Approximate analysis of piles and retaining walls on Matlab will also be covered. Comparisons will be made between the computer solutions and closed form analyses, and students will be encouraged to evaluate limitations of each approach
With reference to experimental testing, two main elements are covered: 1) Background theory for experimental design, vibration monitoring methods, soil element testing, instrumentation and basic data processing, 2) Laboratory sessions in the geotechnics laboratories. The unit will enable student to understand the basic principles behind soil element testing and be able to setup experiments, collect, analyse and interpret the data.
Students will present and discuss their findings in an individual report. To facilitate early feedback to the students, the report will be submitted in two phases (e.g., end of 12th week (formative), end of 24th week (summative)).
Aims:
By the end of the unit, successful students will:
1. Have some understanding of the response of structures to ground deformations and of soil-structure interaction,
2. Have developed a capability in modelling geotechnical problems with commercial and in-house finite element software and interpreting the results,
3. Have undertaken a detailed study of some foundation and retaining wall problems and written up their findings in a report,
4. Have developed basic understanding on certain dynamic soil-structure interaction problems involving earthquake loads.
5. Learn how to construct soil sample and manipulate various fabrication procedures
6. Learn how to set up a series of soil element testing apparatus, understand the involved physical variables and their reduction
7. Be able to characterise soil behaviour over a wide range of strains from small to large strains.
Teaching will be delivered through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous sessions, including lectures, practical activities supported by drop-in sessions, problem sheets and self-directed exercises.
Single Coursework Submission (100%)
CEN, 2004. European Standard EN 1998-1. Eurocode 8: Design of structures for earthquake resistance, Part 1: General rules, seismic actions and rules for buildings”, Committee for Standardisation (Book), Design.
European Committee for Standardization, Brussels, Belgium.
Chopra, A.K., 2014. Dynamics of Structures—Theory and applications to Earthquake Engineering, Pearson.
Kramer S.P., 1995. Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering, Prentice Hall
Mylonakis, G. Electronic Class Notes (available on BB together with miscellaneous reading material)
Towhata I., 2008. Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering, Springer
Wolf, J.P., 1985. Dynamic Soil-Structure Interaction, Prentice Hall
