Impact of Ground Deformation on Structures

Abstract

The components of ground movement arrived at in earlier sections — namely, subsidence v_z and horizontal displacement v, together with the factors of tilt v _z ^’ , surface curvature v _z ^” , and linear change s derived from them — serve the subsidence engineer as a basis for determining surface damage. Here again, as in consideration of the interaction between shaft and surrounding strata, the question arises as to how far a given structure follows the movement and deformation of the ground. We know that the lie of the structure alters with the movement of the ground — it subsides, shifts laterally, and tilts with the ground on which it stands (Fig. 276); we also know that a stiff but elastic structural foundation undergoes less bending, stretching, and compressing than the ground; but we do not know the magnitude of the difference in deformation as between ground and structure in each case. There is a need therefore for closer investigation into the soil mechanics of the transmittal of deformation forces from ground to structure.