Article
Evaluation of Soil–Structure Interaction in Structure Models via
Shaking Table Test
Seongnoh Ahn, Gun Park, Hyungchul Yoon , Jae-Hyeok Han and Jongwon Jung *
Citation: Ahn, S.; Park, G.; Yoon, H.;
Han, J.-H.; Jung, J. Evaluation of
Soil–Structure Interaction in Structure
Models via Shaking Table Test.
Sustainability 2021, 13, 4995. https://
doi.org/10.3390/su13094995
Academic Editor: João Carlos de
Oliveira Matias
Received: 10 April 2021
Accepted: 26 April 2021
Published: 29 April 2021
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral
with regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional affil-
iations.
Copyright: © 2021 by the authors.
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
This article is an open access article
distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons
Attribution (CC BY) license (https://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
4.0/).
School of Civil Engineering, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Chungbuk, Korea;
copoi2212@chungbuk.ac.kr (S.A.); silvist@g.cbnu.ac.kr (G.P.); hyoon@cbnu.ac.kr (H.Y.);
aksgdlsksp@naver.com (J.-H.H.)
* Correspondence: jjung@chungbuk.ac.kr
Abstract:
Modeling the soil–structure interaction (SSI) in seismic design involves the use of soil
response curves for single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) structures; however, real structures have
multiple degrees of freedom (MDOF). In this study, shaking-table-derived p-y curves for SDOF
and MDOF superstructures were compared using numerical analysis. It was found that an MDOF
structure experienced less displacement than an SDOF structure of the same weight, but the effect
of increasing the DOF decreased at greater pile depths. Numerical analysis results estimated using
the natural periods and mass participation rates of the structures were similar to those of shaking
table tests. Abbreviations: finite element: FE; frequency response function: FRF; multiple degrees of
freedom: MDOF; single degree of freedom: SDOF; soil–structure interaction: SSI.
Keywords: shaking table test; soil–structure interaction; p-y curve; pile foundation; seismic design
1. Introduction
In the past 10 years, approximately 1500 earthquakes of magnitude 5 or greater and
approximately 10 earthquakes of magnitude 7 or greater have occurred worldwide each
year [
1
]. In addition to structural deformation and destruction, earthquakes cause damage
to humans and nonstructural property. To prepare for these events, seismic design is
important for the construction of structures that can withstand earthquake loading as
defined under certain regulations [
2
]. In the seismic design of a structure, the effect of the
superstructure, foundation, and site under the foundation should be considered together.
In pile-foundation seismic design, equivalent static analysis is generally used to determine
the lateral load (seismic load) on the pile by constructing a p-y curve that includes the
nonlinear behavior of the ground [
3
]. A p-y curve shows the nonlinear relationship between
the displacement of a pile (y) caused by the lateral load and the reaction force (p) of the
ground, which is modeled by describing the ground as a set of springs for which the
change in the spring coefficient is dependent on the depth and compaction condition of
the soil [
4
]. As the p-y curve changes based on the condition of the ground, it is difficult
in practice to calculate it for all conditions; therefore, many researchers have proposed
the use of p-y curves obtained under various ground and load conditions to produce
a representative curve [
5
–
8
]. Because most approaches assume a condition in which a
cyclic or static load to is applied to the pile head, they are able to explain the nonlinear
relationship between the pile displacement and the ground. However, because the stiffness
of soil decreases as the amplitude of the load increases, and because there are cases in
which the inertia or attenuation of the ground that occurs under dynamic loading cannot
be evaluated [
9
], dynamic loads such as earthquake loads cannot be reasonably considered
in seismic design [
10
–
12
]. To address this issue, studies attempting to develop a dynamic
p-y curve for piles are currently underway. Shaking table tests used to reproduce actual
earthquake effects use models that have similitude to real field structures [
13
,
14
]. Kim et al.
(2018) demonstrated that the dynamic p-y curve changes with the position of the pile cap
Sustainability 2021, 13, 4995. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13094995 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability
