The effects of Soil–Structure Interaction on a reinforced concrete viaduct

This paper presents a numerical strategy to model a three‐pier viaduct made of prestressed concrete. The viaduct was tested pseudodynamically in ELSA laboratory (JRC Ispra, Italy). During the experimental campaign, only the three piers were tested, whereas the behaviour of the deck was simulated using the finite element method. The first part of the paper presents a numerical model of the viaduct based on the Timoshenko multifibre beam elements and non‐linear constitutive laws. Comparisons with the experimental results show the good performance of the approach. In the second part, a parametric study is carried out showing the influence of Soil–Structure Interaction (SSI). Various types of soils are considered using a recently developed macro‐element representing a rigid shallow foundation. The macro‐element is suitable for dynamic (seismic) loadings and it takes into account the plasticity of the soil, the uplift of the foundation, P?θ effects and the radiative damping. Finally, the numerical results are compared with the ones coming from a classical engineering approach using linear elastic springs at the base of the piers. This comparison shows that SSI is a complex phenomenon inducing displacements and internal forces in the structure that are difficult to predict with the linear approach. Based on the results obtained in this paper, it seems now possible to use this approach to investigate numerically the behaviour of a wider variety of configurations. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.