Branch of

Soil Mechanics Soil Dynamics

Behavior of soil under Analysis and stability of earth-

dynamic load supported and earth retaining
structures
 Analysis and Design of Foundations

Subjected to Static Loads Subjected to Dynamic Loads

Characteristic feature of Characteristic feature of

static load: dynamic load:
The load carried by the The load carried by the
foundation at any given Load foundation varies with
time.

Load
time is constant in
1. Magnitude, and Examples:
Time, t
2. Direction Load due to Time, t
*Earthquake
Examples: Static load is constant with time
or builds-up gradually with time
*Bomb blasts Dynamic load varies with time
*Dead weight of the (monotonic), or has negligible *Machine operation
structure. dynamic effect *Pile driving
*Live loads in the *Quarrying
structure *Wind
*Train weight on a *Moving traffic
bridge *Waves action
 Nature and Type of Dynamic Loading

The type of the dynamic load depends on the source producing it.

Dynamic loads can be deterministic or non-deterministic.

 Nature and Type of Dynamic Loading
Dynamic loads can be deterministic or non-deterministic.

Examples:
Deterministic loads:

Dynamic Load
Dynamic Load
Well-defined as functions
of time. Time, t Time, t
Can be predicted precisely.
They can be harmonic, Harmonic Loading
Periodic Loading
periodic, or non-periodic. When a loading repeats itself at equal time When the periodic loading follows the sine
intervals then it is called periodic loading.
Usually, loads from man- or cosine function it is called harmonic.

made objects are

Dynamic Load
deterministic.
Loading does not repeat itself.
Time, t

Non-Periodic Loading
 Nature and Type of Dynamic Loading
Nondomestic Loads: Duration: 26 s
Peak acceleration: 0.318 g
Predominant Period: 0.515 s
Nondeterministic loads
cannot be described as
definite functions of
time because of their
inherent uncertainty in
their magnitude and
form of variation with
time. As an example,
loading from an
earthquake.

Vibration of the E1 Centro, California, Earthquake of 18 May, 1940 NS component

 Nature and Type of Dynamic Loading

For Land Based Structures: Earthquakes are the important source of dynamic loading on soil.
This is due to the damage-causing potential of strong motion and
unpredictability.

For Offshore Structures: The dynamic load due to storm waves generally represents the
significant load.

For Liquifiable Soil: Earthquakes might cause some types of soil to liquify, leading to
buildings sinking and lighter structures such as septic tanks floating up
 Nature and Type of Dynamic Loading
Bombing and Nuclear Explosions
Bombing and nuclear
explosions cause
displacement at the earth’s
surface.
This is due to the cratering
and the air blast loading. “Ground Zero”
For distribution of air blast Center of
loading, refer to the figure. explosion
The center of explosion is
called “Ground Zero”.
Overpressure is maximum at
the “ground zero” and the
peak overpressure decays
with distance.
At any particular distance
away from the “ground zero”
the pressure increases with
time until it reaches its peak.
 Importance of Soil Dynamics
The problems related to the dynamic loading of soils and
earth structures frequently encountered by a geotechnical
engineer include, but are not limited to the following:
• Earthquake, ground vibration, and wave propagation through soils

• Dynamic stress, deformation, and strength properties of soils

• Dynamic earth pressure problem

• Dynamic bearing capacity problems and design of shallow foundations

• Problems related to soil liquefaction

• Design of embedded foundations and piles under dynamic loads

• Stability of embankments under earthquake loading

 Importance of Soil Dynamics
• Note that loads are always combinations of static and dynamic loads, and therefore for rational analyses and
design procedures for problems involving dynamic loading, one must have an insight into the behavior of soil
under both static and dynamic loading conditions.

• When designing for dynamic loading conditions, the geotechnical engineer requires answers to questions
such as the following:

• How should failure be defined and what should be the failure criteria?

• What is the relationship between applied loads and the significant parameters used in defining the
failure criteria?

• How can the significant parameters be identified and evaluated?

• What will be an acceptable factor of safety, and will the factor of safety as used for static design
condition be enough to ensure satisfactory performance or will some additional conditions need to be
satisfied?
 Importance of Soil Dynamics
• The importance of soil dynamics lies in providing safe, acceptable, and time-tested solutions to the problem
of dynamic loading in soil, in spite of the fact that the information in some areas may be lacking and the
actual loading condition may not be predictable.
• Soil dynamics is an interdisciplinary area and in addition to traditional soil mechanics, requires a knowledge
of:
• theory of vibrations,
• principles of wave propagation,
• soil behavior under dynamic/cyclic conditions, and
• numerical methods such as finite element methods, etc., in finding appropriate solutions for problems.