SpringerLink
Log in

Numerical investigation of the effects of soil-structure and granular material-structure interaction on the seismic response of a flat-bottom reinforced concrete silo

  • Published:
Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Vibration Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this work, a numerical study of the effects of soil-structure interaction (SSI) and granular material-structure interaction (GSI) on the nonlinear response and seismic capacity of flat-bottomed storage silos is conducted. A series of incremental dynamic analyses (IDA) are performed on a case of large reinforced concrete silo using 10 seismic recordings. The IDA results are given by two average IDA capacity curves, which are represented, as well as the seismic capacity of the studied structure, with and without a consideration of the SSI while accounting for the effect of GSI. These curves are used to quantify and evaluate the damage of the studied silo by utilizing two damage indices, one based on dissipated energy and the other on displacement and dissipated energy. The cumulative energy dissipation curves obtained by the average IDA capacity curves with and without SSI are presented as a function of the base shear, and these curves allow one to obtain the two critical points and the different limit states of the structure. It is observed that the SSI and GSI significantly influence the seismic response and capacity of the studied structure, particularly at higher levels of PGA. Moreover, the effect of the SSI reduces the damage index of the studied structure by 4%.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
EUR 32.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or Ebook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price includes VAT (France)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Abbreviations

B :

Half width of the foundation

V s30 :

Shear wave velocity at 30 m soil depth

M w :

Moment magnitude

d j :

Maximum top displacement at each IDA loading step

E j :

Cumulative energy dissipation at each IDA loading step

d y :

Maximum top displacement at the elastic limit state

E y :

Cumulative energy dissipation at the elastic limit state

d u :

Maximum top displacement at the ultimate limit state

E u :

Cumulative energy dissipation at the ultimate limit state

a eh0 :

Horizontal acceleration per unit of gravity (g)

γ :

Specific weight of the granular material

R :

Radius of the silo

h c :

Height of the stored material

λ :

Lateral pressure ratio of the granular material

a ev0 :

Vertical acceleration per unit of gravity (g)

μ GW :

Friction coefficient of the grain-walls contact surface

V :

Maximum base shear

U :

Maximum top displacement

V y :

Maximum base shear at the elastic limit

U y :

Maximum top displacement at the elastic limit

SSI:

Soil-Structure Interaction

GSI:

Granular material-Structure Interaction

IDA:

Incremental Dynamic Analysis

PGA :

Peak Ground Acceleration

RPA:

Règles Parasismiques Algériennes (Algerian Seismic Regulation)

FB:

Fixed Base

NRB:

Non Reflecting Boundary

PML:

Perfectly Matched Layer

EC:

Eurocode

BAEL:

Béton Armé aux Etats Limites (Reinforced Concrete at Limit States)

FC:

Friction Contact

TC:

Tied Contact

PEER:

Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research

RSN:

Record Serial Number

References

  • Abate G, Massimino MR and Romano S (2016), “Finite Element Analysis of DSSI Effects for a Building of Strategic Importance in Catania (Italy),” Procedia Engineering, 158: 374–379.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ACI 313-97/313-R97 (1997), Standard Practice for Design and Construction of Concrete Silos and Stacking Tubes for Storing Granular Materials and Commentary, American Concrete Institute, Farmington Hills, MI, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anastasopoulos I, Gerolymos N, Gazetas G and Bransby MF (2008), “Simplified Approach for Design of Raft Foundations Against Fault Rupture. Part II: Soil-Structure Interaction,” Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Vibration, 7(2): 165–179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ansari MI and Agarwal P (2017), “Damage Index Evaluation of Concrete Gravity Dam Based on Hysteresis Behavior and Stiffness Degradation Under Cyclic Loading,” International Journal of Structural Stability and Dynamics, 17(1): 1750009.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Azadi MRE and Soltani AA (2010), “The Effects of Soil-Foundation-Structure Interaction on the Dynamic Response of Delijan Cement-Storage Silo Under Earthquake Loading,” Electronic Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, 15: 659–676.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bapir B, Abrahamczyk L, Wichtmann T and Prada-Sarmiento LF (2023), “Soil-Structure Interaction: A State-of-the-Art Review of Modeling Techniques and Studies on Seismic Response of Building Structures,” Frontiers in Built Environment, 9: 1120351.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Basu U (2009), “Explicit Finite Element Perfectly Matched Layer for Transient Three-Dimensional Elastic Waves,” International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering, 77(2): 151–176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Basu U (2014), “FE Program LS-DYNA for Analysis of NPP Structures Including Seismic Soil-Structure Interaction,” In TTC Hsu, CL Wu and JL Li, editors, Infrastructure Systems for Nuclear Energy, Chapter 23, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, USA. pp. 387–395.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Basu U and Chopra AK (2003), “Perfectly Matched Layers for Time-Harmonic Elastodynamics of Unbounded Domains: Theory and Finite-Element Implementation,” Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, 192(11–12): 1337–1375.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benkhellat S, Kada O, Seghir A and Kadri M (2022), “Seismic Damage Assessment of Reinforced Concrete Grain Silos,” International Journal of Structural Stability and Dynamics, 22(1): 2250005.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benkhellat S, Seghir A, Kadri M, Kada O and De Bejaia M (2021), “Seismic Capacity of Reinforced Concrete Grain Silos,” Algérie Équipement, 64: 13–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bielak J, Loukis K, Hisada Y and Yoshimura C (2003), “Domain Reduction Method for Three-Dimensional Earthquake Modeling in Localized Regions, Part I: Theory,” Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 93(2): 817–824.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bielak J and Christiano P (1984), “On the Effective Seismic Input for Non-Linear Soil-Structure Interaction Systems,” Earthquake Engineering & Structural Dynamics, 12(1): 107–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Butenweg C, Rosin J and Holler S (2017), “Analysis of Cylindrical Granular Material Silos Under Seismic Excitation,” Buildings, 7(3): No. 61.

  • Çelik AI and Kose MM (2020), “Çelik Tahil Depolama Silolarinin Sismik Analizi Üzerine Genel Bir Değerlendirme ve Yeni Analiz Yaklaşimlari,” Mühendislik Bilimleri ve Tasarım Dergis, 8(2): 501–520.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cremonini MG, Christiano P and Bielak J (1988), “Implementation of Effective Seismic Input for Soil-Structure Interaction Systems,” Earthquake Engineering & Structural Dynamics, 16(4): 615–625.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Djelloul Z and Mohammed D (2018), “Contribution to the Seismic Behaviour of Steel Silos: Full Finite-Element Analysis Versus the Eurocode Approach,” Asian Journal of Civil Engineering, 19(7): 757–773.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dong Q, Chen S, ** LG, Zhou ZH and Li XJ (2024), “Time-Domain Dynamic Constitutive Model Suitable for Mucky Soil Site Seismic Response,” Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Vibration, 23(1): 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11803-024-2222-3

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Durmuş A and Livaoğlu R (2015), “A Simplified 3 DOF Model of a FEM Model for Seismic Analysis of a Silo Containing Elastic Material Accounting for Soil–Structure Interaction,” Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 77: 1–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • EN 1991-4 (2006), Eurocode 1: Actions on Structures - Part 4: Silos and Tanks, European Committee for Standardization, Brussels, Belgium.

    Google Scholar 

  • EN 1998-4 (2006), Eurocode 8: Design of Structures for Earthquake Resistance–Part 4: Silos, Tanks and Pipelines, European Committee for Standardization, Brussels, Belgium.

    Google Scholar 

  • Estekanchi H and Arjmandi K (2007), “Comparison of Damage Indexes in Nonlinear Time History Analysis of Steel Moment Frames,” Asian Journal of Civil Engineering (Building and Housing), 8(6): 629–646.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fiamingo A, Bosco M and Massimino MR (2023), “The Role of Soil in Structure Response of a Building Damaged by the 26 December 2018 Earthquake in Italy,” Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, 15(4): 937–953.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gao ZD, Zhao X, Zhao M, Du XL, Wang JJ and Liu PC (2021), “Efficient Seismic Analysis for Nonlinear Soil-Structure Interaction with a Thick Soil Layer,” Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Vibration, 20(3): 553–565.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • GB 50322-2011 (2011), Code for Design of Grain Steel Silos, Bei**g: China Planning Press, China. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Guo KP, Zhou CD, Meng LK and Zhang XY (2016), “Seismic Vulnerability Assessment of Reinforced Concrete Silo Considering Granular Material-Structure Interaction,” The Structural Design of Tall and Special Buildings, 25(18): 1011–1030.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Han YC (2008), “Study of Vibrating Foundations Considering Soil-Pile-Structure Interaction for Practical Applications,” Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Vibration, 7(3): 321–327.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • He Z, Ou XY and Ou JP (2014), “A Macro-Level Global Seismic Damage Model Considering Higher Modes,” Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Vibration, 13(3): 425–436.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holler S and Meskouris K (2006), “Granular Material Silos Under Dynamic Excitation: Numerical Simulation and Experimental Validation,” Journal of Structural Engineering, 132(10): 1573–1579.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jagtap P, Chakraborty T and Matsagar V (2015), “Nonlinear Dynamic Behavior of Granular Materials in Base Excited Silos,” Mechanics of Advanced Materials and Structures, 22(4): 313–323.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jayalekshmi BR and Chinmayi HK (2016), “Effect of Soil Stiffness on Seismic Response of Reinforced Concrete Buildings with Shear Walls,” Innovative Infrastructure Solutions, 1(2): 1–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jia KM, Xu CS, Du XL, Cui CY, Dou PF and Song J (2023), “Seismic Response Comparison and Sensitivity Analysis of Pile Foundation in Liquefiable and Non-Liquefiable Soils,” Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Vibration, 22(1): 87–104. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11803-023-2160-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • **g H, Chen HF, Yang JP and Li PZ (2022a), “Shaking Table Tests on a Small-Scale Steel Cylindrical Silo Model in Different Filling Conditions,” Structures, 37: 698–708.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • **g H, Wang XY, Yang JP and Chen HF (2022b), “Static and Seismic Pressure of Cylindrical Steel Silo Model with Granular Materials,” Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 198: 107515.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kada O, Benamar A and Tahakourt A (2018), “Simplified Model for Analysis of Soil-Foundation System Under Cyclic Pushover Loading,” Structural Engineering and Mechanics: An International Journal, 67(3): 267–275.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaneko Y, Mita A and Mihashi H (2003), “Quantitative Approach for Damage Detection of Reinforced Concrete Frames,” Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Vibration, 2(1): 147–158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karatzetzou A and Pitilakis D (2018), “Modification of Dynamic Foundation Response Due to Soil-Structure Interaction,” Journal of Earthquake Engineering, 22(5): 861–880.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khalil M, Ruggieri S and Uva G (2022), “Assessment of Structural Behavior, Vulnerability, and Risk of Industrial Silos: State-of-the-Art and Recent Research Trends,” Applied Sciences, 12(6): No. 3006.

  • Lakhade SO, Kumar R and Jaiswal OR (2020), “Estimation of Drift Limits for Different Seismic Damage States of RC Frame Staging in Elevated Water Tanks Using Park and Ang Damage Index,” Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Vibration, 19(1): 161–177.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu JB, Tan H, Bao X, Wang DY and Li ST (2019), “Seismic Wave Input Method for Three-Dimensional Soil-Structure Dynamic Interaction Analysis Based on the Substructure of Artificial Boundaries,” Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Vibration, 18(4): 747–758.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Livaoğlu R and Durmuş A (2013), “Seismic Behavior of Squat Bulk Material-Silo-Foundation/Soil System,” In International Conference on Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering: From Case History to Practice, Istanbul, Turkey.

  • Lv H and Chen SL (2023), “Seismic Response Characteristics of Nuclear Island Structure at Generic Soil and Rock Sites,” Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Vibration, 22(3): 667–688. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11803-023-2186-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mander JB, Priestley MJN and Park R (1988), “Theoretical Stress-Strain Model for Confined Concrete,” Journal of Structural Engineering, 114(8): 1804–1826.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mansour S, Pieraccini L, Palermo M, Foti D, Gasparini G, Trombetti T and Silvestri S (2022a), “Comprehensive Review on the Dynamic and Seismic Behavior of Flat-Bottom Cylindrical Silos Filled with Granular Material,” Frontiers in Built Environment, 7: 805014.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mansour S, Silvestri S and Sadowski AJ (2022b), “The ‘Miniature Silo’ Test: A Simple Experimental Setup to Estimate the Effective Friction Coefficient Between the Granular Solid and a Horizontally-Corrugated Cylindrical Metal Silo Wall,” Powder Technology, 399: 117212.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mehretehran AM and Maleki S (2018), “3D Buckling Assessment of Cylindrical Steel Silos of Uniform Thickness Under Seismic Action,” Thin-Walled Structures, 131: 654–667.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mehretehran AM and Maleki S (2021), “Seismic Response and Failure Modes of Steel Silos with Isotropic Stepped Walls: The Effect of Vertical Component of Ground Motion and Comparison of Buckling Resistances Under Seismic Actions with Those Under Wind or Discharge Loads,” Engineering Failure Analysis, 120: 105100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moya M, Aguado PJ and Ayuga F (2013), “Mechanical Properties of Some Granular Agricultural Materials Used in Silo Design,” International Agrophysics, 27(2): 181–193.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nateghi F and Yakhchalian M (2011), “Seismic Behavior of Reinforced Concrete Silos Considering Granular Material-Structure Interaction,” Procedia Engineering, 14: 3050–3058.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nateghi F and Yakhchalian M (2012), “Seismic Behavior of Silos with Different Height to Diameter Ratios Considering Granular Material-Structure Interaction,” International Journal of Engineering, 25(1): 27–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • PEER (2013), PEER Ground Motion Database, Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. http://Ngawest2.Berkeley.Edu

    Google Scholar 

  • Perchat J (1997), “Béton armé: Règles BAEL 11: Ouvrages particuliers,” Techniques de l’ingénieur, Construction, 3(C2315): C2315.1–C2315.38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pieraccini L, Palermo M, Silvestri S, Gasparini G and Trombetti T (2016), “Seismic Horizontal Forces Exerted by Granular Material on Flat Bottom Silos: Experimental and Analytical Results,” In: IABSE Congress: Challenges in Design and Construction of an Innovative and Sustainable Built Environment, Stockholm, Sweden, pp. 1063–1070.

  • Pieraccini L, Silvestri S and Trombetti T (2015), “Refinements to the Silvestri’s Theory for the Evaluation of the Seismic Actions in Flat-Bottom Silos Containing Grain-Like Material,” Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering, 13(11): 3493–3525.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • RPA 99 (2003), “Règles Parasismiques Algériennes, D.T.R.-B.C.-2.48,” National Center of Earthquake Applied Research (CGS), Rue Kaddour Rahim, BP252, Hussein Dey, Algiers: Imprimé par l’Office Nationale des Publication University (OPU), Algeria.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saha R, Haldar S and Dutta SC (2015), “Influence of Dynamic Soil-Pile Raft-Structure Interaction: An Experimental Approach,” Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Vibration, 14(4): 625–645.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silvestri S, Gasparini G, Trombetti T and Foti D (2012), “On the Evaluation of the Horizontal Forces Produced by Grain-Like Material Inside Silos During Earthquakes,” Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering, 10(5): 1535–1560.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silvestri S, Ivorra S, Chiacchio LD, Trombetti T, Foti D, Gasparini G, Pieraccini L, Dietz M and Taylor C (2016), “Shaking-Table Tests of Flat-Bottom Circular Silos Containing Grain-Like Material,” Earthquake Engineering & Structural Dynamics, 45(1): 69–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silvestri S, Mansour S, Marra M, Distl J, Furinghetti M, Lanese I, Hernandez-Montes E, Neri C, Palermo M, Pavese A, Rizzo Parisi E, Sadowski AJ, Selva F, Taniguchi T, Vadrucci L and Weber F (2022), “Shaking Table Tests of a Full-Scale Flat-Bottom Manufactured Steel Silo Filled with Wheat: Main Results on the Fixed-Base Configuration,” Earthquake Engineering & Structural Dynamics, 51(1): 169–190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang G, Sun P, Zhao YQ, Yin LF and Zhuang H (2017), “Experimental Research on Friction Coefficient Between Grain Bulk and Bamboo Clappers,” IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 274: 012116.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tuska M, Katsanos E and Latini C (2018), “IDA-Based Definition of Damage States for RC Silo Subjected to Seismic Excitations,” In 16th European Conference on Earthquake Engineering, Thessaloniki, Greece.

  • Xu CS, Liu H, Dou PF, Wang JT, Chen S and Du XL (2023), “Analysis on Kinematic and Inertial Interaction in Liquefiable Soil-Pile-Structure Dynamic System,” Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Vibration, 22(3): 601–612. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11803-023-2190-z

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu QK, Zhang H, Liu Q and Wang LM (2021), “Seismic Analysis on Reinforced Concrete Group Silos Through Shaking Table Tests,” Structural Concrete, 22(3): 1285–1296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang JP, Zhang FF, Li PZ and **g H (2023), “Seismic Performance of Column-Bearing Silo Structure with Granular Materials Considering SSI Effect,” Structures, 47: 595–606.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yokota H, Sugita M and Mita I (1983), “Vibration Tests and Analyses of Coal-Silo Model,” In: Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on the Design of Silos for Strength and Flow, Stratford-upon-Avon, UK, pp. 7–9.

  • Yoshimura C, Bielak J, Hisada Y and Fernández A (2003), “Domain Reduction Method for Three-Dimensional Earthquake Modeling in Localized Regions, Part II: Verification and Applications,” Bulletin of The Seismological Society of America, 93(2): 825–841.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zameeruddin M and Sangle KK (2021), “Damage Assessment of Reinforced Concrete Moment Resisting Frames Using Performance-Based Seismic Evaluation Procedure,” Journal of King Saud University - Engineering Sciences, 33(4): 227–239.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zandi Y, Karaca Z, Durmus A, Dogangun A and Durmus A (2012), “Investigating the Comparative Analysis of Cylindrical Silos Subjected to Earthquake by Analytical and Numerical Methods,” Trends in Applied Sciences Research, 7(6): 407–420.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Solid Mechanics and Systems, University of M’Hamed Bougara, Boumerdes, 35000, Algeria

    Sonia Benkhellat

  2. Laboratory of Geomaterials, Environment and Development, University of M’Hamed Bougara, Boumerdes, 35000, Algeria

    Mohammed Kadri

  3. Research Laboratory of Applied Hydraulics and Environment, Faculty of Technology, University of Bejaia, Bejaia, 06000, Algeria

    Abdelghani Seghir

Authors
  1. Sonia Benkhellat
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mohammed Kadri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Abdelghani Seghir
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sonia Benkhellat.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Benkhellat, S., Kadri, M. & Seghir, A. Numerical investigation of the effects of soil-structure and granular material-structure interaction on the seismic response of a flat-bottom reinforced concrete silo. Earthq. Eng. Eng. Vib. 23, 609–623 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11803-024-2260-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11803-024-2260-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation