Advancement of simplified modelling strategies for 3D phenomena and/or boundaries conditions for base-isolated buildings or specific soil-structure interactions.

This report presents a study of Soil-Structure Interaction (SSI) with the “macro element” approach. Its simplicity lies on the fact that the behaviour of the foundation is described in global variables (forces and displacements). The macro element studied here is a 3D model of a circular and rigid foundation. It takes into account the plasticity of the soil and the rocking of the foundation. Comparisons with experimental results under, static [Gottardy et al., 1999], cyclic [TRISEE, 1998] and dynamic loading [CAMUS, 1997] show the good performance of the model for simulating SSI phenomena. At the last part of this report the 3D macro element is used to reproduce the experimental behaviour of base isolators and dissipative devices.