John P. Wolf – författare

Structural analysis is usually carried out by a strength-of-materials approach that allows complex 3-D structures to be modelled adequately for design needs in a single dimension. However, this approach is not extensively used in geotechnical engineering, partly because 3-D media (soil, rock) are present, but more importantly because until recently the methods necessary to carry out this form of analysis did not exist.In the last ten years efforts at modelling practical problems in foundation analysis using a strength-of-materials approach have developed the concept of the conical bar or beam as a tool. Such cone models can be used to model a foundation in a dynamic soil-structure interaction analysis with a variation of the properties with depth.This book develops this new approach from scratch in a readable and accessible manner. A systematic evaluation for a wide range of actual sites demonstrates sufficient engineering accuracy. A short computer program written in MATLAB and a user-friendly executable program are provided, while practical examples ensure a clear understanding of the topic.- Simplifies complex 3-D analysis of soil-structure interaction- Applies strength-of-materials approach to geotechnical engineering- Illustrated with practical examples- Executable program and MATLAB program for foundation vibration analysis

Dynamic Soil-structure interaction is one of the major topics in earthquake engineering and soil dynamics since it is closely related to the safety evaluation of many important engineering projects, such as nuclear power plants, to resist earthquakes. In dealing with the analysis of dynamic soil-structure interactions, one of the most difficult tasks is the modeling of unbounded media. To solve this problem, many numerical methods and techniques have been developed. This book summarizes the most recent developments and applications in the field of dynamic soil-structure interaction, both in China and Switzerland.An excellent book for scientists and engineers in civil engineering, structural engineering, geotechnical engineering and earthquake engineering.

A novel computational procedure called the scaled boundary finite-element method is described which combines the advantages of the finite-element and boundary-element methods : Of the finite-element method that no fundamental solution is required and thus expanding the scope of application, for instance to anisotropic material without an increase in complexity and that singular integrals are avoided and that symmetry of the results is automatically satisfied. Of the boundary-element method that the spatial dimension is reduced by one as only the boundary is discretized with surface finite elements, reducing the data preparation and computational efforts, that the boundary conditions at infinity are satisfied exactly and that no approximation other than that of the surface finite elements on the boundary is introduced. In addition, the scaled boundary finite-element method presents appealing features of its own : an analytical solution inside the domain is achieved, permitting for instance accurate stress intensity factors to be determined directly and no spatial discretization of certain free and fixed boundaries and interfaces between different materials is required. In addition, the scaled boundary finite-element method combines the advantages of the analytical and numerical approaches. In the directions parallel to the boundary, where the behaviour is, in general, smooth, the weighted-residual approximation of finite elements applies, leading to convergence in the finite-element sense. In the third (radial) direction, the procedure is analytical, permitting e.g. stress-intensity factors to be determined directly based on their definition or the boundary conditions at infinity to be satisfied exactly.In a nutshell, the scaled boundary finite-element method is a semi-analytical fundamental-solution-less boundary-element method based on finite elements. The best of both worlds is achieved in two ways: with respect to the analytical and numerical methods and with respect to the finite-element and boundary-element methods within the numerical procedures.The book serves two goals: Part I is an elementary text, without any prerequisites, a primer, but which using a simple model problem still covers all aspects of the method and Part II presents a detailed derivation of the general case of statics, elastodynamics and diffusion.