Earthquake response of submerged gravity foundation on soft rock

A gravity foundation submerged in the water is subject to the buoyancy force and is hence vulnerable to sliding at the base when it is subjected to a large lateral load. The effects of sliding on the earthquake response were investigated for this type of foundation on soft rock, considering the friction characteristics at the contact between concrete and soft rock. Shake table tests were conducted to observe the behavior of a submerged foundation on soft rock which slid during the excitation. Large-scale cyclic direct shear tests were conducted to examine in detail the friction characteristics at the contact between the concrete and soft rocks. Based on the results obtained in shake table and cyclic shear tests, a numerical model was established for simulating the earthquake response behavior of a submerged gravity foundation on soft rock. Numerical parametric studies were conducted by using this model and selected earthquake ground motion records. Various important features were observed in the earthquake response of this foundation.