Mechanics Research Communicattons. Vol. 28. No. 3, pp. 297-304.

2001
Copynght 0 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd
Pergamon
Rimed in the USA. All rights resewed
0093~6413/01&see front matter

PII: s0093-6413(01)00177-x

Dynamic Structure - Soil i Structure Interaction applyingthe Symmetric Galerkin Boundary

Element Method (SGBEM)

L. Lehmann, H. Antes
Institut fiir Angewandte Mechanik,
Technische Universitat Braunschweig,
Spielmannstr.11, D - 38106 Braunschweig

mecerved I September 2000, nccepted,for pnnt 5 Fehnwy 2001)

1 Introduction

Constructing safe, modern, high-rise buildings undergoing loads arising from wind, traffic or
earthquakes requires a good understanding of their dynamic behaviour. For this purpose, an
analysis of the interaction with the underlying soil is necessary, because it strongly influences
the response of the coupled system. Furthermore, since urban areas are getting more and more
intensively built-up, the interactions between neighbouring buildings have to be investigated.
In regions where earthquakes frequently occur, developing and evaluating vibration isolation
devices lead to significant improvements in construction techniques.
A numerical, hybrid model is developed to investigate those problems:

l the soil is approximated by means of a three-dimensional Symmetric Galerkin Boundary

Element Method (SGBEM) for viscoelastic domains and

l the multi-storey buildings are represented by a Finite Element model, which takes the
complex geometry of the cross-section into account as well as warping and secondary
torsion.

The coupling between structure and soil is formulated in terms of a rigid body, modeling the
foundation of the building.

2 Structure

A significant part of the horizontal stiffness of many high rise buildings is assured by shear
cores, which are often located in elevator-shafts, in staircases or in the exterior walls of one
part or the entire structure. The stiffness of the global system can be significantly reduced
by rows of openings, which are present in the shear core.
For the structure, thin-walled beams with a general mixed open-closed cross-section are used.
Rows of regular openings are replaced by a homogeneous curtain, obtained by “smearing” the

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