Resonance of a structure with soil elastic waves released in non-linear hysteretic soil upon unloading

Abstract High-frequency motion is often observed in small-scale experimental works carried out in flexible containers under simplified seismic loading conditions when single harmonic sine input motions are introduced at the base of a soil specimen. The source of the high-frequency motion has often been sought in experimental inaccuracies. On the other hand, the most recent numerical studies suggested that high-frequency motion in the steady-state dynamic response of soil subjected to harmonic excitation can also be generated as a result of soil elastic waves released in non-linear hysteretic soil upon unloading. This work presents an example of a finite element numerical study on seismic soil–structure interaction representative of an experimental setup from the past. The results show how high-frequency motion generated in soil in the steady-state response, apparently representative of soil elastic waves, affects the steady-state response of a structure, that is, it is presented how the structure in the analysed case resonates with the soil elastic waves. The numerical findings are verified against the benchmark experimental example to indicate similar patterns in the dynamic response of the structure.