Behavior of Plate on Elastic Foundation under Impact Load

In this study, nonlinear three-dimensional finite element analysis has been used to conduct a numerical investigation of the effect of applied impact load on the foundation based on sandy soil using the finite element method by ANSYS (Version 11) computer program. The 8-node brick elements are used to represent the concrete of foundation and the soil under the foundation which are denoted by Solid 65 for concrete and Solid 45 for the soil and the interface is modeled by using three-dimensional surface-to-surface (Target 170 and Contact 174) contact elements connected with concrete and soil. As a case study, a concrete foundation with dimensions (3×3×0.3) m placed on the soil 15 m deep and 9 m away from the edge of foundation is subjected to impact load. A parametric study is carried out to investigate the effect of several parameters including: foundation dimensions (geometry) and amplitude of impact load. It was concluded that as the foundation thickness increases, the time for maximum displacement to take place increases due to geometrical damping induced by the foundation. When the length of foundation increases, the oscillation of vertical displacement decreases, which means that the foundation becomes more stable.