Investigation into the Effects of Foundation Uplift on Simplified Seismic Design Procedures

Abstract

Uplifting of and yielding below shallow foundations supporting rigid lateral force–resisting elements can provide additional nonlinearity into a system's overall force-deformation behavior. While this nonlinearity may be advantageous, potentially reducing seismic demands, displacement compatibility may result in overstress of lateral and/or gravity-resisting elements. Incorporating this balance of benefit versus consequence in structural design is one goal of performance-based earthquake engineering (PBEE). There are a variety of approaches in design codes for estimating seismic demands and incorporating “performance” as a design goal. Such methods generally account for the displacement of an equivalent SDOF system by reducing the design strength, however, not explicitly for the case of foundation uplift. To address this shortcoming, this paper investigates the relationship between the strength ratio R and the displacement ratio _C1 using the beam on nonlinear Winkler foundation (BNWF) concept. Numerical models were constructed considering a range of soil-structure natural periods and a range of design R values. Nineteen ground motions with a broad range of characteristics are used to conduct nonlinear time-history analyses. Results from these simulations indicate that current suggestions for _C1-R relations are highly unconservative when uplifting foundations are anticipated. Revised _C1-R relations for uplifting foundations are presented and an example numerical comparison provided.