Soil, Foundation, and Superstructure Interaction for Plane Two-Bay Frames

AbstractGeotechnical analyses are usually made before superstructure members are fully defined. The behavior of long-span buildings differs from the behavior of short-span buildings. Expensive solutions to the differential settlement that is calculated in geotechnical reports may be preferable but do not necessarily consider the superstructure’s rigidity effect. This paper examines the effect of the superstructure’s rigidity on the contact stress and the differential settlement for plane 2-bay frames. The plane frames consisted of flat slabs with hinged or fixed connections to the walls. The foundation system consisted of strip footings without tie beams to connect the footings due to the large span of the frames. The effect of superstructure rigidity on the damping of differential settlement owing to the redistribution of loads was investigated. The use of a slightly rigid superstructure may be the solution to differential settlement without the need for additional, more expensive methods. Five groups wi...