Engineering Commons^™

Parametric Study Of Rocking Shallow Foundations Under Seismic Excitation, Benjamin I. Herdrich

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

Conventional design of structures relies on incorporating a certain level of inelastic deformation into select components to provide seismic energy dissipation, while ensuring the foundation remains relatively stationary. However, this inelasticity comes at the cost of severe damage to the structure, which often is no longer suitable to occupancy after a seismic event. In contrast with conventional structures, structures with rocking foundations shift the ductility demands away from the structure itself, and onto the underlying soil, which may result in less damage and greater stability. The purpose of this study is to explore the behavior and performance of a simple …