Inclusion of soil-structure interaction effects in design of base-isolated RC frame building

This study explores the impact of soil-structure interaction on the design and analysis of a base-isolated RC frame building. The building's preliminary design employs the direct-displacement base design approach for low design inter-story drift that is compatible with the fully operational performance range. The lead rubber bearing serves as an isolator for the isolated building. The design forces and moments are determined by simulating the single-degree-of-freedom, base-isolated building, taking into consideration the impact of soil-structure interaction. The foundation is meant to keep eccentricity and safety factors within acceptable ranges. It is considered that the lateral deformation components include displacement generated by the isolator, the superstructure, and the foundation's rocking and swaying relative to the soil. The difference between the basic period with and without soilstructure interaction is also investigated. The approach is confirmed by time-history analysis of various soil profiles and base-isolated building layouts.