Horizontal Damping of Arbitrarily Shaped Embedded Foundations

Using numerical results obtained by the boundary element method, the paper develops a simple method involving algebraic formulas and dimensionless parametric charts for estimating the lateral radiation damping coefficients of arbitrarily shaped rigid foundations embedded in an elastic halfspace. Complete as well as partial, symmetric and nonsymmetric types of contact are considered between the vertical sidewalls and the surrounding soil. Valuable insight is gained into the mechanics of radiation damping and conclusions of practical significance are drawn regarding the effects of potential separation/slippage between the walls and the soil near the ground surface. Two examples illustrate the direct applicability of the method, while its versatility is shown through an extension to treat a more realistic inhomogeneous soil profile.