Dynamic soil-structure interaction of coupled shear walls by boundary element method

For a class of civil engineering structures, that can be accurately represented by 'coupled shear walls' (CSWs), a discrete model for the analysis of the dynamic interaction with the underlying soil is proposed. The CSWs, with one or more rows of openings, rest on a rigid foundation embedded in the elastic or viscoelastic half-space. A hierarchical finite element model based on an equivalent continuum approach is adopted for the structure. A frequency-domain boundary element method is used to represent the half-space. Finally, the set of equations governing the response of the coupled soil-structure system to harmonic lateral loads acting on the structure is also given. The frequency deviation effect with respect to the fixed-base structure and the effects of radiation and material damping in the soil are presented for different characteristics of the structure and different soil properties.