Abstract
Based on the complex spectral element method and the theory of fractional calculus, a hybrid complex damped spectral element method is developed. The new method is capable of making accurate predictions of the full dynamic behaviour of reinforced concrete cooling tower structures including soil-structure interaction effects. The dynamic soil-structure interaction of large space shell structures can be analysed using hybrid spectral-finite element method where the seismic wave propagation in the soil media has been modelled using the spectral element method. The frequency-dependent damping characteristic of soil materials can also be modelled accurately using the fractional derivative model. It is shown that the proposed method can be extended to develop a frequency domain dynamical method to analyse damped large space structures under earthquake excitation. The soil-structure dynamical solution is shown graphically, and the consistency of method is investigated. Using a computer program, the proposed formulation has been used to derive the dynamic response of a large concrete cooling tower with the soil media.
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