Methodology for dynamic analysis of linear structure-foundation systems with local non-linearities

An efficient computational technique is presented for the dynamic analysis of large structural systems with local large linear structural systems with local non-linearities. The earthquake response evaluation for many practical structures belongs to this class of problems. The technique provides a rational approach to the earthquake-resistant design of structure-foundation systems with predetermined non-linearities occurring along the structure-foundation interface. Various possibilities for base isolation systems are naturally fitted within the proposed framework. In particular, we address uplifting of the structure as a natural base isolation concept. We use the dynamic substructuring technique and an efficient numerical algorithm which accommodates non-proportional damping as a consistent way to reduce significantly the computational effort, which is in sharp contrast to the vast majority of ad-hoc simplified models used for the same purpose. A numerical example which demonstrates the vibration isolation effect when the uplifting of the concrete gravity dam occurs is also presented.