Interpretation of Japanese Wood Building Damage Based on Soil–Foundation Connection Modeling

Abstract

Japanese wood building damage was concentrated on the first story of buildings in previous large earthquakes. The main reason was attributed to an undesirable layout (lack of shear walls) in the first story. However, it is questionable whether or not the undesirable layout of the first story is the only reason for this. In this study, we will investigate the influence of soil–foundation connections on the typical damage pattern. This study is the first attempt, to the best of the author’s knowledge, to evaluate the effects of soil–foundation movement on the responses of a wooden building. Therefore, a three-dimensional nonlinear method to examine the soil–building interaction based on an input seismic wavefield, with the introduction of hypothetical soil piles, will be applied to a 2-story wooden building in the reclaimed zone of Tokyo Bay in Tokyo, Japan where liquefaction occurs. This revealed that a loose soil–foundation connection could explain the typical damage pattern. This inferred that, in addition to the undesirable layout, the soil–foundation movement caused the damage to the first story.