Analysis of Structures on Elastic Foundations

Tsudik, Edward

Preference :

Analysis of structures and structural elements, supported on soil, requires the knowledge of the properties of the structure, as well as the properties of the soil. While properties of structural materials of the foundation and superstructure are usually well known, obtaining the soil’s properties and, especially, evaluating the soil’s behavior under applied loads, is very difficult. Various soils react differently to applied loads and, like any bearing material, produce under the same load's different settlements and different stresses. A wide variety of soil and its properties as well as various complex soil conditions require soil investigation and testing in each case. Analysis of beams, plates, walls, frames, and other structures supported on elastic foundations is usually performed by modeling the soil; in other words, by replacing the soil with material that behaves under applied loads like the given real soil.