Soil and Structure Interaction Studies

When site conditions such as soft and compressible soils, steep slopes, or seismic activity appear to limit site uses, Geosyntec's geotechnical engineering professionals create foundations and other geostructural solutions that optimize site development potential.

Geosyntec provides nationally recognized expertise and specialized capabilities in geotechnical engineering to evaluate and improve the design and construction of foundations systems in complex soil profiles and rock formations. Our geotechnical engineering specialists are recognized as practice leaders in the United States for their ability to develop practical guidance and efficient designs compatible with aggressive construction schedules commonly imposed by project economics.

We specialize in developing innovative engineering solutions through the application of the industry's most advanced technologies in ground characterization and ground improvement. We have been working with our clients and teaming partners for close to 30 years responding to the challenges of increasingly unfavorable site conditions by developing and applying sophisticated approaches to investigate sites and develop cost-effective, constructible solutions. Or experience include estimating performance of deep excavations and the design and verification of structural loads on temporal support as well as the consideration of construction sequence and schedule. We have also developed innovative solutions including the use of geogrids and other types of inclusions for the support of slopes and other retaining systems and the minimization of differential deformation for oil and gas facilities.

For cases in which seismic conditions apply, our soil-structure interaction analyses provide thorough evaluations of how buildings and infrastructure respond during earthquakes. We examine the combined response of the structure, the foundation, and the geologic media underlying and surrounding the foundation to incidents of ground motion so as to best understand inertial and kinematic interaction effects as well as evaluate soil degradation and or liquefaction conditions.

Site-specific probabilistic and deterministic procedures are used to make these estimates and to develop design response spectra. Geosyntec can perform one-, two-, and three-dimensional site response analyses using linear, equivalent-linear, and nonlinear site response methods. Site response analyses can be performed using total- or effective-stresses and using models for generation and dissipation of pore water pressures.

Geosyntec has extensive experience using computer programs such as SHAKE2000, D-MOD, D-MOD2000, DEEPSOIL, QUAD 4MU, FLAC and PLAXIS.  Ground surface spectra can be modified to account for soil-structure interaction, including effects such as kinematic interaction and foundation damping. Fully dynamic as well as pseudo-static analyses can be performed to evaluate foundation impedances in the various modes of deformation and estimate foundation performance.