Harmonic response of buildings interacting with soil

The harmonic response of buildings supported on a flexible soil layer is investigated. The building is modelled as a continuum to represent three different structural systems, namely, frame, wall and shearwall-frame. The effect of soil-structure interaction is evaluated through dimensionless parameters characterizing the structure-foundation system. It is found that the soil-structure interaction effect is more significant for short and squatty structures than for tall and slender structures. The wall system is found to be affected most by the soil-structure interaction while the frame system suffers the least.