Vertical Vibration of Embedded Footings

The theory makes it possible to consider soil as an elastic half-space or a stratum. In the latter case, embedment becomes particularly important because the omission of embedment leads to unrealistic overestimation of amplitudes, while the omission of layering can result in considerable underestimation of the response. The approximate analytical solution compares favorably with the finite element solution and can be easily applied in design of footings or structures supported by embedded foundations. A further advantage is that the same approach can be used to predict the response in any vibration mode including coupled modes. The field experiments were conducted with concrete blocks having square and rectangular bases. There was a reasonable agreement between the theoretical and experimental relative variations of the resonant amplitudes and of the resonant frequencies with embedment in the case of the undisturbed soil.