SEISMIC RESPONSE AND NONLINEAR PILE-SOIL SPRINGS OF BUILDING SUPPORTED BY PILE GROUP IN GRANULAR SOIL DEPOSIT ON SLOPING BEDROCK

Abstract

Shaking table tests and three-dimensional finite element analyses were conducted to investigate seismic response and nonlinear characteristics of pile-soil springs of a structure supported by a pile group in granular soil deposit on a sloping bedrock. The experiment and its simulation were for a nine-pile group in the square arrangement, and showed that constraint condition at the pile tip influenced bending moment response of piles during large input motion. The influence of the sloping bedrock on pile-soil springs, evaluated by an experiment and an analysis, depended on the pile location, direction of pile displacement, and depth.