Effect of Seismic Soil-Pile-Structure Interaction on Mid- and High-Rise Steel Buildings Resting on a Group of Pile Foundations

A series of numerical simulations were carried out on two types of superstructures and six types of piled raft foundations to investigate the effects of seismic soil-pile-structure interaction (SSPSI) on the seismic responses of the superstructures. In this research, the effectiveness of a piled raft application was assessed; the pile optimum numbers, locations, and configurations were estimated; and finally, a comparison was made between the nonlinear structural responses of the obtained two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) models. Parametric studies were conducted to achieve strategies for optimized designs of piled raft foundations subjected to the low-to-high intensities of real earthquake records as the input motions. The numerical results represented a reasonable correlation between the shaking intensity rates (SIRs) and maximum interstory drifts of the structures. It was discovered that the performance levels of the structures on a softened ground were a function of the area replacement ratios, lengths, diameters, and spaces between the piles; ground motion features; and height/width ratios of the structures. These important aspects had to be regarded to achieve a reliable design. The aim of this investigation was to ameliorate the characteristics of a system of long-short combined piled raft foundations based on an understanding of the interaction mechanics.