A critical review of seismic soil-structure interaction analysis

Traditionally, fixed-base design assumes that column bases rest on unyielding supports which do not deform under applied loads. This often neglects underlying soil properties, leading to potential inaccuracies in predicting structural responses during earthquakes. The term soil-structure interaction (SSI) refers to the mutual interaction between a structure and the soil it rests on, which affects the behavior of both under various load conditions. Accounting for this interaction is crucial for obtaining realistic predictions of soil-structural performance, especially during seismic events. This study provides a systematic review of dynamic SSI effects observed during seismic events. It examines various approaches to integrating SSI in seismic analysis, including numerical, experimental, and analytical methods. Numerical approaches utilize various software to simulate different structural models, while experimental methods such as shaking table, centrifuge, and damper tests provide actual experimental data. Analytical methods, on the other hand, use mathematical and computational techniques to analyze the interaction between soil and structures. Experimental data can be used for validating analytical/ numerical simulations. The findings of this review demonstrate that SSI analysis consistently provides a more realistic assessment of structural performance compared to traditional fixed-base design approaches. Furthermore, this study compiles advantages and disadvantages of the different methods, numerous parametric investigations to provide insights into interaction behavior under diverse conditions from various researchers, presented in tabular form. It also reviews the equations used for SSI analysis by analytical methods and various software used by researchers in this field, offering a comprehensive overview of current SSI modeling capabilities.