Basement-Storey Effect on the Seismic Response of RC Buildings on Soft Surface Soil

The effects of the basement storey on the seismic behavior of RC buildings built on near-surface alluvial soft soil are studied in this study. Numerical building models with and without a basement and with different numbers of stories are developed. Time-history dynamic analysis of the structure–soil models was performed using the specialized geotechnical software package PLAXIS-2D. In the first phase of the finite element analysis, the settlement on the soil under the static loads of the building was determined. In the second phase, the earthquake responses of RC buildings with and without a basement storey in terms of lateral displacement were examined by considering the determined stresses after the static loading. The results of the numerical models demonstrate that when the height of the RC buildings is increased, the seismic response of RC buildings without basement storey is detrimentally affected.