ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECT OF SOIL-STRUCTURE INTERACTION IN SPACE STEEL FRAMES ON SHALLOW FOOTING FOUNDATIONS
Soil-structure interaction (SSI), Settlement, Shallow footing foundations, Space steel frames
Traditionally, structural analysis is based on the hypothesis that supports are indeslocable due to simplicity. However, the conventional design in which settlements of foundation elements are disregarded can lead to physical results that are incompatible with reality.The assessment of the numerical models used in structural modeling is an important step in the analysis and design of structures. With the development of computer programs, it is possible to carry out analysis that take into account the soil stiffness near the foundations, and thus obtain more accurate results in order to assure the durability, stability and functionality of the structural systems. This work aims to analyze the influence of the consideration of soil-structure interaction (SSI) on the responses of steel structural elements obtained by a static second order analysis. Furthermore, it is evaluated the responses obtained by different types of procedures for the consideration of soil stiffness in the structural analysis. The analyses were performed with the commercial software SAP2000. Space steel frames models were analyzed considering conventional supports and taking into account the soil-structure interaction. Shallow footing foundations were considered. The soil, considered as an elastic material, was modeled using solid elements, spring elements based on the theories of Winkler and Pasternak and using a mesh of continuous springs. Three frames with the same characteristics, but with a different number of floors were analyzed, showing the influence of the height increase and the building stiffness on the SSI results. It has been shown that the consideration of the effects of soil-structure interaction on structural analysis of buildings can have a significant influence on the stress distribution, displacements and structural behavior. In addition, it is concluded that steel frames can be affected by the type of support adopted and by changes on the way the model considers soil deformation.