Statnamic Damping Coefficient: Numerical Modeling Approach

Abstract

The damping associated with dynamic or statnamic tests has typically been over simplified to provide a “catch-all” factor for those responses that could not be fully accounted for using present analyses. This factor has historically been considered constant for a given pile–soil system, but recent investigations as well as previous case studies show the plausibility of another explanation. This study hypothesizes that damping is more closely associated with the increase in strain and not the total strain. Therein, the change in the volumetric strain is being scrutinized to investigate its relationship to damping. To validate this assumption, a numerical model is created which simulates the testing of a full-scale drilled shaft and results analyzed to determine the extent of the zone of influence and volumetric contribution to damping.