Soil Dynamics and Machine

Foundation
 INTRODUCTION:
 Deals with behavior of soil and foundations under dynamic loads (construction
operations, mining, blasting etc.)
 Dynamic loads vary in their magnitude, direction or position with time.
 Analysis of the stability of earth supported/ retaining structures.
 Deals with material properties of soil under dynamic stress.
 Classical dynamics of elastic continuum and theory of vibrations are exclusive
dynamic soil properties.
 Foundations designed w.r.t. dynamic loads constitute the “Dynamic Soil Structure
Interaction” (SSI) studies.
 SSI encompasses two phenomena, studying-
 Inertia forces developed in superstructure
 Soil deformations caused by passage of seismic waves imposed on
foundations.
 Basic Definitions-
 Vibration(Oscillation)-It is the time dependent, repeated motion of translation or
rotational type.
 Periodic motion-It is the motion which repeats itself periodically in equal time
intervals.
 Period(T)-The time period in which the motion repeats itself is called the period of
motion or simply period.
 Cycle-The motion completed in the period is called the cycle of motion.
 Frequency(f)-The number of cycles of motion in a unit of time is known as the
frequency of vibration.
T=1/f

 Free vibration-Free vibrations occur under the influence of forces inherent in the
system itself, without any external force.
 Forced vibration-Forced vibrations occur under the influence of a continuous
external force.
 Resonance-When the frequency of the exciting force is equal to one of the natural
frequencies of the system, the amplitudes of motion become excessively large.
 Damping-The resistance to motion which develops due to friction and other causes
is known as damping
Viscous damping is a type of damping in which the damping force is proportional to
the velocity. It is expressed as
F= c dz/dt
where c= damping coefficient and dz/dt = velocity
 The earthquake load is a ‘dynamic load’, which means it brings about the vibration
of structures. Other loads such as dead, live, and snow loads generally act on
structures very slowly and do not cause any rapid movement or vibration. These are
called ‘static loads’.
Damped and Undamped Vibration:
Dynamic soil properties
 These govern the behavior of soils subjected to dynamic loading.
 Dynamic soil properties such as shear wave velocity, modulus reduction and
damping characteristics of local soils are the basic and essential input
parameters for conducting even a preliminary ground response analysis.
I. Shear modulus
II. Material damping
I. Shear modulus-
Defined as the ratio of shear stress to shear strain.

Fig-Shear stress and shear strain

Fig-Definitions of shear moduli
 Material damping-

Fig-Plastic strain and hysteretic damping

 Dynamic loading
 Dynamic loads may be of various types-

1.Earthquake load
2.Wind load
3.Moving vehicle load
4.Guideway unevenness
5.Machine induced load
6.Blast load
7.Impact load etc.
Soil Dynamics
 Soil dynamics deals with the engineering behaviour of soils subjected to time
varying loads and loads applied very rapidly.

 Applications-
 Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering-
 Construction vibrations-
Several processes employed during Civil Engineering construction such as dynamic
compaction, vibratory compaction, blast densification of sand, pile driving, mechanical
trenching, explosive demolition,etc. set off vibrations in the ground and these
vibrations propagate through the surrounding soil to adjacent structures and may cause
either damage or cosmetic cracking.

Vibration due to pile driving

 Nondestructive characterization of subsurface-
Nondestructive methods like seismic reflection, seismic refraction and spectral analysis
of surface waves are increasingly being used to characterize subsurface geology and
sometimes even the payment systems.
 Offshore Structures-
Offshore structures are subjected to alternating lateral forces and time varying vertical
forces due to passage of waves. The period and height of waves also vary.

Cyclic loading on an off-shore platform

 Traffic and Rail Induced Vibrations-
With the increase in speed of trains and vehicles, traffic induced vibrations, have to be
taken account of in designing tracks and pavements.

Traffic induced vibrations

 Other problems-

There are several other problems that require a knowledge of Soil Dynamics for their
solution. Few problems are as follows:
i. Vibration isolation and screening so as to reduce or minimize the vibrations
transmitted to foundation/building
ii. Force transmission so as to reduce the force transmitted to the subsoil
iii. Seismic protection of buildings
iv. Control and reduction of structural vibrations.

Structural control to reduce the vibration in the

building
Numerical Problems
Machine foundation
INTRODUCTION :
 Machines produce dynamic loads in addition to static loads, which act over a
large period of time.
 During transfer of these dynamic loads, frequency of vibrations of machine and
the soil foundation system as well as dynamic displacement is of great
importance.
 The dynamic load ??generated depends upon the type of machine and its
operating mechanism as well as frequency.
 Determining soil properties :
o Soil stiffness is generally frequency independent.
o For majority of cases, vibration amplitudes are small, hence, soil as material may
be treated as elastic.
 For low speed machineries subjected to vertical vibrations, the natural frequency of
the foundation-soil system should be at least twice the operating frequency.
 In designing these foundations, if changes in mass and size (tuning) of foundation do
not lead to a satisfactory design, a pile foundation may be considered.
 It is also possible that the sub soil conditions are such that the vibration of a shallow
machine foundation may lead to undesirable settlement.
 Note : Piles supporting machine foundations are for cases of low amplitudes of
vibration(because allowable motion is small and dynamic loads are small compared
to static loads) in contrast to those encountered under earthquake type loading(large
strain conditions).
 The design of a machine foundation is generally made by idealizing the foundation-
soil system as spring-mass –dashpot model having one or two degrees of freedom.
 Most machine foundations are treated as surface footing and the soil spring and
damping values are determined using the elastic-half space analog.
TYPES OF MACHINE FOUNDATIONS :
 Foundation for heavy machinery has to be specifically designed taking into
consideration the dynamic and vibration characteristics of load and the
properties of the soil under dynamic conditions.
 Based on the types of dynamic/periodic forces generated the machines may be
classified as follows :
 Reciprocating machines: The machines that produce periodic unbalanced forces
(such as steam engines) belong to this category. The operating speed of such
machines is usually less than 600 rounds/min. For analysis of their foundations,
the unbalanced forces can be considered to vary sinusoidally.
 Impact machines: These machines produce impact loads, for instance, forging
hammers. Their speeds of operation usually vary from 60 to 150 blows per
minute. Their dynamic loads attain a peak in a very short interval and then
practically die out.
 Rotary machines: High-speed machines like turbo generators or rotary
compressors may have speeds of more than 3,000 r/min and up to 12,000
r/min.
 Based on design criteria of their foundations, machines may be
classifies as follows:
 Those producing impact forces, e.g. forges hammers, presses.
 Those producing periodical forces, e.g. reciprocating engines such as
compressors.
 High speed machinery such as turbines and rotary compressors.
 Considering their structural forms :
 Block-type foundations consisting of a pedestal of concrete on which
the machine rests.
 Box or caisson type foundations consisting of a hollow concrete block
supporting the machinery on its top.
 Wall type foundations consisting of a pair of walls which support the
machinery on their top.
 Framed type foundations consisting of vertical columns supporting on
their top a horizontal frame-work which forms the seat of essential
machinery.
Different types of machine foundation
 A suitable foundation is selected , depending upon the type of machine.
 For compressors and reciprocating machines, a block foundation is generally
provided. Such a foundation consists of a pedestal resting on a footing. If two or
more machines of similar type are to be installed in a shop, these can profitably be
mounted on one continuous mat.
 A block foundation has a large mass and therefore a smaller natural frequency.
 However, if a relatively lighter foundation is desired, a box or a caisson type
foundation may be provided. The mass of the foundation is reduced and its natural
frequency increases. Hammers may also be mounted on block foundations, but their
details would be quite different than those for reciprocating machines.
 Steam turbines have complex foundations that may consist of a system of walls
columns, beams and slabs. (Fig.1c) Each element of such a foundation is relatively
flexible as compared to a rigid block and box or a caisson-type foundation.
 The analysis of a block foundation is relatively simple as compared to a complex
foundation. There are several methods of analysis for both the block and the complex
foundations. The criteria for designing machine foundations shall be discussed first
followed by the methods of analysis.