Interactive Analysis of Space Frame Raft Soil System

This study presents a new approach for physical and material modeling of space frame-raft-soil system. The physical modeling consists of a modified Thimoshenko beam bending element with six degrees of freedom per node to model the beams and columns of the superstructure, a modified Mindlin's plate bending element with five degrees of freedom per node to represent the structural slabs and raft, and the coupled finite-infinite elements with three degrees of freedom per node to model the soil media. The constitutive modeling involves the use of the hyperbolic model to account for the soil nonlinearity. The applicability of the proposed physical model is demonstrated by analyzing a four storey, five bay by three bay space frame. Morever, an attempt has been made to compare the linear and nonlinear interactive behavior of the space frame-raft-soil system.