Soil Dynamics and Foundation Modeling: Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Soil-Foundation-Structure Interaction during Monotonic, Alternating and Dynamic Loading

The interaction of soil with structures built in and on the ground is an important field in geotechnical engineering. Its investigation represents a demanding task for the engineer. In the scope of two interdisciplinary research projects in cooperation with a team of international scientists, we investigated experimentally and numerically the behaviour of piles and pile foundations during strong earthquakes. For decades the evolution of soil mechanics was rather separate in statics and dynamics, in particular for the interaction of ground and structure. Even now the latter is often captured in calculations by simplifying assumptions which where never verified, more so in soil dynamics than in statics. Based on the present work this is no more necessary, this can be verified by interested readers up to details. At the end of this publication it is also shown that this new state of knowledge has certainly consequences for design and construction methods.