Seismic assessment of a benchmark based isolated ordinary building with soil structure interaction

Base isolation (BI) has been applied all over the world as a well-known technique in order to reduce the destroying effects of earthquakes. Even if many researches have been published on this issue, few contributions have been focused on the effects that soil-structure interaction (SSI) can have on isolated buildings. In this regard, the paper aims at simulating the SSI effects on a residential structure by performing 3D numerical simulations. The soil is described with non-linear hysteretic materials and advanced plasticity models. The paper applies the open-source computational interface OpenSeesPL, implemented within the finite element code OpenSees. The interface performs the 3D spatial soil domain, boundary conditions and input seismic excitation with convenient post-processing and graphical visualization of results (including deformed ground response time histories). The proposed approach enables to drive the assessment of isolation technique with evaluation of soil non-linear response into a unique twist. Therefore, the paper aims at assessing the cases where BI becomes detrimental. In particular, the model of the structure allows us to assess the structural performance, calculating accelerations and displacements at various heights. Consequently, this study can be considered one of the few attempts to propose new design considerations for engineers and consultants.