Assessing the vibration response of foundation embedment in gypseous soil

Abstract

One of the most critical engineering problems that occur in the foundations of machines resting on soil is the problem of the transmission of vibration from the machine to the foundation and then to the soil. This leads to increased stresses on the soil layers and increased settlement as well. In this article, an experimental model of the foundation of a rotary machine foundation located on gypseous sandy soil (36% gypsum content) has been studied. The weight of the machine model with the foundation was 26 kPa subjected to 10 Hz frequency. The study comprises investigating the effect of embedment depth on the behavior of the rotary machine foundation. The results indicated that resting the foundation on the surface of the soil leads to an increase in the amplitude displacement and the pressure in the region under the foundation. The increased embedment of the foundation to half the thickness of the foundation (0.5H) leads to a reduction in the displacement of the foundation. The amplitude displacement values remained within the permissible limits, while the settlement decreased about 37%. The increased embedment of the foundation to 1.0H gives more stability to the foundation, and increases the pressure in the soil layers, while the settlement decreases about 50%.