COMPUTERS AND STRUCTURES, INC.

, FEBRUARY 2016

TECHNICAL NOTE
AUTOMATIC GENERATION OF POINT SPRING SUPPORTS
BASED ON DEFINED SOIL PROFILES AND COLUMN-FOOTING
PROPERTIES
Introduction
This technical note describes the capability whereby foundation springs and
dashpots can automatically be generated to represent the flexibility and damping associated with soil-foundation interaction in translational and rotational
vibration modes for shallow foundations (i.e., isolated column footings).
The methodology used for calculation of the shallow foundation translational
stiffness and damping coefficients is based on a NIST report (NISTGCR 12917-21) titled Soil-Structure Interaction for Building Structures, September
2012. Chapter 2 of this report presents the detailed procedures for computing
foundation stiffness and damping.
The input required for automatic generation of soil springs and dashpots at
column bases include geotechnical and shear wave velocity profiles, soil shear
strength parameters and their variation with depth, Poissons ratios, soil hysteretic damping ratios, column footing geometries, and a building period.

Procedural Overview
The following steps are typically involved when automatically generating column base point springs and dashpots from soil profiles and column footing
geometry.
1. Define soil profiles. This includes soil layering information for the site
in terms of shear wave velocity profiles and material profiles.
2. Define isolated column footings. Required information consists of
gross footing dimensions and footing embedment depth.
3. Define point spring properties using the soil profiles and isolated column footing definitions as described above. This definition also requires the first mode of vibration period for the building.

Calculating Soil-Structure Interaction

4.

Assign the point springs defined above to column bases.

Based on the procedure described above, soil springs and dashpots will automatically be created for the selected column bases.

Calculating Soil-Structure Interaction

The soil and foundation parameters input by the user are used to generate a nonlinear link element at the column base with translational and
rotational stiffness and damping. An outline of the steps necessary to
determine the stiffness and damping is presented below. The notations
used in the calculations are as follows:
Notations for Soil Profile Parameters

Number of soil layers in the soil profile

Thickness of ith layer of the soil profile

Unit weight of ith layer of the soil profile

Shear modulus of ith layer of the soil profile

Poissons ratio of ith layer of the soil profile

Cohesion of ith layer of the soil profile

Friction angle of ith layer of the soil profile

Shear wave velocity of ith layer of the soil profile

Soil hysteretic damping ratio

Notations for Isolated Column Footing

Calculating Soil-Structure Interaction

Half the dimension of isolated footing along

column major axis

Half the dimension of isolated footing along

column minor axis

Isolated footing thickness

Depth of embedment, measured from the base

of the column

Notations for General and Intermediate Variables

Soil mass density (average of all soil layers)

Acceleration due to gravity

=
layers)

Average Poissons ration (average of all soil

First-mode time period of the structure

Circular frequency corresponding to First-mode

time period of the structure

Depth interval to compute average effective profile velocity for lateral translational stiffness in
X direction

Depth interval to compute average effective profile velocity for lateral translational stiffness in
Y direction

Calculating Soil-Structure Interaction

Depth interval to compute average effective profile velocity for vertical translational stiffness in
Z direction

Depth interval to compute average effective profile velocity for rotational stiffness about X axis

Depth interval to compute average effective profile velocity for rotational stiffness about Y axis

Depth interval to compute average effective profile velocity for rotational stiffness about Z axis

Average effective profile velocity for lateral

translational stiffness in X direction

Average effective profile velocity for lateral

translational stiffness in Y direction

Average effective profile velocity for vertical

translational stiffness in Z direction

Average effective profile velocity for rotational

stiffness about X axis

Average effective profile velocity for rotational

stiffness about Y axis

Average effective profile velocity for rotational

stiffness about Z axis

Effective shear modulus for lateral translational

stiffness in X direction

Calculating Soil-Structure Interaction

Effective shear modulus for lateral translational

stiffness in Y direction

Effective shear modulus for vertical translational stiffness in Z direction

Effective shear modulus for rotational stiffness

about X axis

Effective shear modulus for rotational stiffness

about Y axis

Effective shear modulus for rotational stiffness

about Z axis

Embedment correction factor for lateral translational stiffness in X direction

Embedment correction factor for lateral translational stiffness in Y direction

Embedment correction factor for vertical translational stiffness in Z direction

Embedment correction factor for rotational stiffness about X axis

Embedment correction factor for rotational stiffness about Y axis

Embedment correction factor for rotational stiffness about Z axis

Dimensionless frequency for lateral translational

stiffness in X direction

Calculating Soil-Structure Interaction

Dimensionless frequency for lateral translational

stiffness in Y direction

Dimensionless frequency for vertical translational stiffness in Z direction

Dimensionless frequency for rotational stiffness

about X axis

Dimensionless frequency for rotational stiffness

about Y axis

Dimensionless frequency for rotational stiffness

about Z axis

Dynamic stiffness modifier for translational

stiffness in X direction

Dynamic stiffness modifier for translational

stiffness in Y direction

Dynamic stiffness modifier for translational

stiffness in Z direction

Dynamic stiffness modifier for rotational stiffness about X axis

Dynamic stiffness modifier for rotational stiffness about Y axis

Dynamic stiffness modifier for rotational stiffness about Z axis

Calculating Soil-Structure Interaction

, =

Elastic static stiffness at ground surface for

translation in X direction

, =

Elastic static stiffness at ground surface for

translation in Y direction

, =

Elastic static stiffness at ground surface for

translation in Z direction

, =

Elastic static stiffness at ground surface for rotation about X axis

, =

Elastic static stiffness at ground surface for rotation about Y axis

, =

Elastic static stiffness at ground surface for rotation about Z axis

Dynamic stiffness of embedded footing for

translation in X direction

Dynamic stiffness of embedded footing for

translation in Y direction

Dynamic stiffness of embedded footing for

translation in Z direction

Dynamic stiffness of embedded footing for rotation about X axis

Dynamic stiffness of embedded footing for rotation about Y axis

Dynamic stiffness of embedded footing for rotation about Z axis

Calculating Point Springs & Dashpots

Dimensionless factor for computing radiation

damping

Damping ratio for translation along X axis

Damping ratio for translation along Y axis

Damping ratio for translation along Z axis

Damping ratio for rotation about X axis

Damping ratio for rotation about Y axis

Damping ratio for rotation about Z axis

Damping coefficient for translation along X axis

Damping coefficient for translation along Y axis

Damping coefficient for translation along Z axis

Damping coefficient for rotation about X axis

Damping coefficient for rotation about Y axis

Damping coefficient for rotation about Z axis

Calculating Point Springs & Dashpots

Step 1: Calculate Depth Interval
The depth interval necessary for computing an average effective profile velocity can be taken as the half-dimension of an equivalent square

Calculating Point Springs & Dashpots

foundation matching the area of the actual foundation or the half-dimension of an equivalent square foundation matching the moment of
inertia of the actual foundation. The coordinate axes are oriented as
shown below such that L B.

3
3

3 + 3

Calculating Point Springs & Dashpots 10

Step 2: Calculate Average Soil Mass density and Average Poissons Ratio

=
=

=0

=( )

Step 3: Calculate Average Profile Velocity

For calculating the average profile velocity, layers that are partially or
fully within the depth interval are used. For checking the soil layers
that are effective for computing average profile velocity, the following
parameters are used:

Where,

Global Z coordinate of the top of depth range

Global Z coordinate of the column base

Depth interval

Global Z coordinate of the bottom of depth range

The average effective profile velocity is calculated as follows:

2

=1

Calculating Point Springs & Dashpots 11

Where,
1

First layer, partially or fully within depth interval

Last layer, partially or fully within depth interval

2

=1

2

=1

2

=1

2

=1

Step 4: Calculate Effective Shear Modulus

( )2

( )2

( )2

( )2

Calculating Point Springs & Dashpots 12

Step 5: Calculate correction factors for embedment depth

1.34

0.8

1.0 + 0.33 +

1.0 + 0.25 + 1+

1.0 +

1.0 +

1.0 + 1.3 +

0.25

1.6

0.8

+ 0.35+
1.6

+ 0.35+()4
1.32

0.9

Step 6: Calculate dimensionless frequency parameter

0
0

Calculating Point Springs & Dashpots 13

0
0

=
=

Step 7: Calculate Dynamic Stiffness Modifiers

1.0

1.0

1.0

1.0

1.0

1.0

0.2

0.4+ 0 2

10
+0 2
1+3(1)

0.55+0.01 10 2
2.4

0.4
+0 2
()3

0.550 2

0.6+

1.4
+0 2
()3

0.33+0.03 10 2

0.8
+0 2
1+0.33(1)

Calculating Point Springs & Dashpots 14

Step 8: Calculate Translational and Rotational Stiffness

The elastic static stiffness at the ground surface is calculated as follows:
, =
, =
, =

, =
, =
, =

0.65

6.8
2

0.65

6.8

0.75

3.1
1
3
1

3
1

+ 2.4

+ 0.8 + 1.6
+ 1.6

3.2 + 0.8
2.4

3.73

+ 0.27

2.45

3 4.25

+ 4.06

The dynamic stiffness of the embedded footing is calculated as follows:

,
,

Calculating Point Springs & Dashpots 15

Step 9: Calculate radiation damping ratios and damping coefficients

2 (1 )(1 2)

2.5

Damping ratios are calculated as follows:

4[( )+( )(1+ )] 0

2
( )

4[ +( )(1+ )] 0
2

4[ +( )(+ )] 0
2

4

3
2

3 + +3 + + + 0 2
3

4
3
+
3

1.4
2
+
0
1+3(1)0.7

20

4
3
3

2
3
+ +3 + 0 2
3

1.8
2

+0
1+1.75(1)
3

References 16

3
+1
3

3
3

+ + +3 + 0 2
3

20

1.8
2

+
0
1+1.75(1)
3

The damping coefficients are calculated as follows:

References

2( + )

2 +

2( + )

2( + )

2 +

2( + )

National Institute of Standards and Technology. Soil-Structure Interaction for

Building Structures, NISTGCR-12-917-21 (Gaithersburg, MD, 2012).