This paper presents a closed-form analytical solution for the dynamic response of two independent SDOF oscillators standing on one flexible foundation embedded in an elastic half-space and excited by plane SH waves. The solution is obtained by the wave function expansion method and is verified by comparison with the results of the special cases of a rigid foundation and the published research result of a flexible foundation. The model is utilized to investigate how the foundation stiffness influences the system response. The results show that there will be a significant interaction between the two independent structures on one flexible foundation and the intensity of the interaction is mainly dependent on foundation stiffness and structural stiffness. For a system with more flexible foundation, strong interaction will exist between the two structures; larger structural stiffness will also lead to a strong interaction between the two structures. When the structural mass and the structural stiffness are all larger, the flexible foundation cannot be treated as a rigid foundation even if the foundation stiffness is many times larger than that of soil. This model may be useful to get insight into the effects of foundation flexibility on the interaction of two independent structures standing on one flexible foundation.
Propagation of SH waves in a visco-elastic layer overlying an inhomogeneous isotropic half-space
