Effect of foundation compliance on earthquake stresses in multistory buildings*

Abstract

This paper shows the quantitative effect that foundation compliance has on the maximum base shear force and the fundamental period of vibration in typical tall buildings subjected to strong-motion earthquakes. A study was made of five-, ten-, and fifteen-story building models on the Electric Analog Computer, subjecting them to the ground accelerations of actual earthquakes. The base shear forces were measured, the foundation compliance of the models being changed through a very wide range.The properties specified for the building models are shown to be similar to the properties found in real buildings. The experimental results imply that the maximum base shear forces in typical buildings of five stories and higher during strong-motion earthquakes will be essentially unaffected by any degree of foundation compliance that can be expected in normal building practice. The fundamental period of typical buildings will be increased by about 10 per cent if the foundation compliance is the maximum that can be expected in standard building practice.