Soil oscillations prediction on the man-influenced sites considering

random factors
Prvision doscillations de sols anthropiques en considration de facteurs
alatoires
M.L. Kholmyansky

NIIOSP Research Institute, Moscow, Russia; mlkholmyansky@hotmail.com

KEYWORDS: soil oscillations, man-influenced sites, random processes, random parameters.

ABSTRACT: The problem of soil oscillations prediction arising in construction on the man-influenced
sites is random in its nature. So the simplest model problem of random oscillations of soil layer with
random parameters is stated and solved. A closed-form expression for power spectral density of the
layer response is obtained. Some phenomena arising from parameter random variability are discussed.
1 INTRODUCTION
Many difficulties are encountered in construction on man-influenced sites. One of them is the presence
of soil oscillations due to human produced impact and vibrational effects. It is possible to reduce the
oscillations level by organized changing of soil dynamic properties based on oscillations prediction.
There exist numerous sources of dynamic effects for man-influenced sites in cities; traffic and railway transportation (including subway) dominate. Both multiplicity of sources and parameter indeterminacy of each make it inevitable to state the problem of oscillations prediction as probabilistic one.
Existing some methods of soil oscillations prediction do not account for random factors adequately,
especially for the parameters of oscillating system (dynamic soil properties, layers thicknesses etc.). At
the same time uncertainty of these parameters is very significant. Thus it is necessary to investigate the
influence of random uncertainty of soil mass parameters on oscillations.
It is possible to consider the effect and system parameters (that is soil mass parameters) to be statistically independent. Since the alteration times of the effect amplitudes, phases and frequencies are
much greater than the oscillations periods the effect may be supposed a stationary random process.
The alteration times of the oscillatory system parameters are much greater than the oscillations periods
too, so these parameters are considered time-independent (random variables).
In view of the fact that the subject is poorly studied it is reasonable to start with a simple model
problem that reflects the main features of the phenomenon under investigation. The simplest onedimensional linear problem is considered: soil layer free surface oscillations are analyzed under effect
of its footing oscillations described by stationary random process with zero mean. Layer parameters
are supposed to be random variables; the loading and random parameters are supposed to be independent.
The problem of response of a system with time-invariant random parameters (random variables)
under effect of a stationary random process was considered earlier (Kholmyansky (1997);
Kholmyansky (2000)); simple formulae were derived interrelating the power spectral densities (PSD)
of the effect and the response. This result makes it possible to solve the problem stated.

2 PROBLEM STATEMENT AND PRINCIPAL EQUATIONS

2.1 The equations of oscillations of the layer with deterministic parameters under sinusoidal excitation
Linear oscillations of a homogeneous layer of thickness H are considered. The lower edge of the layer
is subject to sinusoidal oscillations with the amplitude of unity and the angular frequency of . In that
case, as it is known (Newmark and Rosenblueth (1971)), the displacement of the free upper edge of
the layer has the amplitude

( ) = 1 / cos(H / c)

(1)

where wave velocity

c = c0 = M /

(2)

M = soil elastic modulus; and = soil density.

Three variants of oscillations, waves and elastic moduli may be considered: (1) vertical oscillations
(in that case longitudinal waves are propagating in the layer; M = + 2, where , = Lam's constants); (2) horizontal oscillations (transversal waves are propagating; M = ); (3) longitudinal oscillations of a rod (M = Young's modulus).
Suppose soil damping is the hysteresis one and loss factor is frequency independent. This fact
may be accounted for by introducing (Skudrzyk (1968)) complex elastic modulus M (1 + i) instead of
real modulus M. Wave velocity c0 is substituted by complex velocity:

c = M (1 + i ) / = (1 + iD )c 0

(3)

where D = damping ratio; its values for soils can be found in the literature (Richart et al. (1970)).
Equation (3) is valid due to the smallness of D. The complex velocity will be used in equation (1)
from now on.
The function () given by this equation may be rewritten due to the smallness of D:

( ) = [cos(T ) cosh( ) i sin(T )sinh( )]

(4)

using the travel time:

T = H / c0

(5)

= DH / c0

(6)

and parameter

The function () is frequency response function. Its absolute value is equal to the oscillations
amplitude of the layer free upper edge when the lower edge is excited with the angular frequency
and amplitude of unity. Calculate its squared absolute value using equation (4). In order to do that substitute the squares of trigonometric and hyperbolic functions with the expressions including the functions of the doubled argument. That results to:
2

( ) =

2
cos( 2T ) + cosh( 2 )

(7)

The first term in the denominator does not depend on damping and determines the layer resonance
when reaches its minimum (that is equal to 1). In the absence of damping that takes place for angular
frequencies:

r =

c0
2H

(2r 1)

( r = 1, 2, 3, ...)

Displacements become infinite under these circumstances.

(8)

The second term increases with the damping making resonant displacements finite. When tends to
infinity, this term tends to infinity too, and squared absolute value of the frequency response function
tends to zero.
2.2 Random variability of the system parameters
Under this problem statement squared absolute value of the frequency response function is fully determined by two system parameters T and . Parameter T variability is due to variability of the layer
thickness, and, above all, due to variability of the wave velocity. We suppose that T is uniformly distributed on [T1, T2]. The coefficient of variation for T is given by:

3 / 3 ( T / T0 )

(9)

T =

1
(T2 T1 )
2

(10)

T0 =

1
(T1 + T2 )
2

(11)

vT =
where:

and

It will be observed that vT = 0 for the system with deterministic parameters.

Parameter is connected to damping. It affects resonant frequencies only slightly. Suppose it deterministic neglecting its random variability. Damping ratio D is hence proportional to the wave velocity
c0 and inversely proportional to the layer thickness H, as it follows from equation (6).
It is necessary to account for indeterminacy in excitation frequency and amplitude. This is done by
transition from deterministic loading model to the random process model.
3 OSCILLATIONS OF SOIL LAYER CONSIDERING RANDOM NATURE OF THE SYSTEM
AND THE EXCITATION
3.1 The response PSD for a system with random parameters: general equations
Oscillations of a linear system with deterministic time-invariant parameters under excitation described
by a stationary random process are calculated with the known formula (Bendat and Piersol (1980))
giving linear relation between PSD of the excitation and that of the response. A generalization was
obtained (Kholmyansky (1997)) for the case of systems with time-invariant excitation-independent
random parameters. The response PSD is given by (Kholmyansky 2000):

S u ( ) = S h ( )S f ( )
where:

S h ( ) = M ( )

(12)

(13)

M[] = mathematical expectation (mean value); () = frequency response function (depending

on the random parameters); and Sf() = excitation PSD. In the special case of system with deterministic parameters the mathematical expectation of deterministic value in equation (13) is equal the value
itself; equation (12) transforms to the known one (Bendat and Piersol (1980)).

3.2 PSD determination for a layer with random parameters

In that case the displacement of the layer lower edge is the excitation and the displacement of the upper edge is the response. The response PSD is calculated with the equation (12). Calculate function
Sh(), which is necessary for that purpose, as a mathematical expectation using equation (13). Take
into account the uniformity of T distribution and the equation (7) for the squared absolute value of the
frequency response and obtain:
1
S h ( ) =
T2 T1

T2

f (x) d x

(14)

T1

where:

f (x) =

2
cos( 2 x ) + cosh( 2 )

(15)

The integrand in equation (14) has an antiderivative (Gradshtein and Ryzhik (1971)), yet it is discontinuous in the points /2 + k (k = 0, 1, 2, ). In order to make it continuous add appropriate
discontinuous term and obtain a continuous antiderivative:
F ( x) =

2
{arctan(tanh ( ) tan( x) ) + E (x / + 1 / 2)}
sinh( 2 )

(16)

where E(x) = integer less than or equal to x.

The integral in equation (14) takes the form:
S h ( ) =

F (T2 ) F (T1 )
T2 T

(17)

The response mean square value describes oscillations power in the broad frequency range. Its
magnitude may be calculated from the PSD by the following formula (Bendat and Piersol (1980)):
u2

S ( ) d
u

(18)

3.3 White noise excitation

If excitation PSD is constant and equal to unity it is called white noise (Bendat and Piersol (1980)). In
that case Sh() coincides with response PSD. Physically that means that all spectral components in
oscillations of the lower edge of the layer have equal intensities. In that simplest case calculations
were performed for D0 = /T0 = 0.05 and vT = 0.15. Corresponding PSD is shown in Figure 1 along
with the PSD of the system with deterministic parameters (with vT = 0).
The influence of soil parameters random variability appears to be substantial. It is especially significant in the zones of resonance where it can decrease the peak ordinates up to 3 times. Near the
minima there is the opposite situation PSD increases up to 3.4 times. Maxima and minima are
shifted. Additional maxima appear at the points where minima for the layer with deterministic parameters lie.
The latter phenomenon may be explained as follows. The ratio of resonant frequencies (in equation (8)) tends to unity when their orders grow; for the points between resonant frequencies of the
layer with deterministic parameters two or more resonances become possible for the layer with random parameters. It may be suggested that replacing the uniform distribution by another one with more
rapid decrease of probability density (when moving from the mean value) will eliminate this phenomenon.

The random variability of soil parameters affects the response mean square value insignificantly. This
fact may be explained by mutual compensation of two opposite tendencies: oscillations rise near resonances and oscillations drop in the intervals between resonances.
3.4 Excitation with a predominant frequency
Consider oscillations of the layer lower edge that is a random process with one maximum in PSD (corresponding to predominant frequency). Let this random process have PSD:
S f ( ) = S 0

1 + ( 2 / p ) 2
(1 / p 2 ) 2 + ( 2 / p ) 2

(19)

1 .10

Sh(T0)
100

vT = 0
vT = 0.15

10

10

15

20

T0

0.1

Figure 1. Layer response PSD for the white noise excitation

for D0 = 0.05.

1 .10

vT = 0.15

Su(T
)
04
1 .10
S0

__________________________________________________________________________________________

vT = 0

1 .10

100
10

1.5

T0

Figure 2. Layer response PSD for the excitation with

predominant frequency p = 0.81 (at = 0.025 and D0 = 0.05).

This random process is white noise with the power S0 filtered through a single degree of freedom system (in kinematic excitation). Parameters p and are non-damped natural frequency and damping ratio
of that system. Random processes of such form were used to describe earthquake effects (Newmark
and Rosenblueth (1971)).
Let us adopt layer parameters D0 = 0.05 and vT = 0.15 that were used earlier and excitation parameters p = 0.81; = 0.025. The response PSD near the first resonance is shown in Figure 2. The result
for the layer with deterministic parameters is also shown.
In the frequency range displayed the PSD for the layer with deterministic parameters has two
maxima corresponding to predominant excitation frequency and resonant frequency. For the layer with
random parameters there is only one maximum. Maximum PSD increases 4.1 times. That may be explained by possible shift of the layer natural frequency (under its modulus random variation) into the
zone near excitation predominant frequency.
The loading and the oscillations caused by it are confined within a narrow frequency range. PSD
near the first resonance grows when the layer with deterministic parameters is substituted by the layer
with random parameters. That growth is not compensated in other frequency ranges. Hence oscillations power in the broad frequency range (response mean square value) increases 2.8 times.
4 CONCLUSIONS
System parameter randomness may lead to both quantitative and qualitative changes in PSD of layer
response. The PSD ordinates decrease near the peaks and increase near the troughs up to several times.
The response mean square values are not changed noticeably when the excitation has a broad spectral
range.
Of special interest are excitation modeled by a narrow-banded random process. When the excitation predominant frequency approaches the layer resonant frequency their random coincidence is possible. Response mean square value increases significantly showing general oscillations intensity
growth.
Model problem studying brings to the following conclusions. To predict soil oscillations on the
man-influenced sites it is essential to know soil dynamic parameters in detail; however in many cases
this information is unobtainable. In such cases it is necessary to analyze soil data statistically and perform probabilistic analysis in order to avoid erroneous and insecure decisions.
REFERENCES
Bendat, J.S. and Piersol, A.G. (1980). Engineering Application of Correlation and Spectral Analysis. John Wiley
& Sons, New York, 302 pp.
Gradshtein, I.S. and Ryzhik, I.M. (1971). Tables of integrals, sums, series and products. Nauka, Moscow,
1108 pp. (In Russian.)
Kholmyansky, M.L. (1997). Vibration calculation of structure interacting with soil as a system with random parameters. Proc. 3d Ukrainian Conf. on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering. Odessa, Vol. 1, 102
103. (In Russian.)
Kholmyansky, M.L. (2000). A model of system with random parameters for dynamic soil-structure interaction.
Proc. 3d Int. Conf. on Advances of Computer Methods in Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering.
Rotterdam, 285290.
Newmark N.M. and Rosenblueth, E. (1971). Fundamentals of Earthquake Engineering. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, 640 pp.
Richart, F.E., Woods, R.D. and Hall, J.R. (1970). Vibration of Soils and Foundations. Prentice-Hall, Englewood
Cliffs, 414 pp.
Skudrzyk, E. (1968). Simple and Complex Vibratory Systems. Pennsylvania State University Press, University
Park, 514 pp.