Soil-Structure Interaction Effects on the Seismic Performance of Reinforced Concrete Buildings: A Critical Review

Sanket Vijay Wadekar, G. V. Joshi

Abstract: Soil-structure interaction (SSI) changes the effective dynamic system of reinforced concrete (RC/RCC) buildings by coupling superstructure response with foundation translation, foundation rocking, soil deformability and site-dependent ground-motion amplification. This paper presents a critical review of recent SSI research on RCC buildings, with emphasis on soil stiffness, structural height and irregularity, foundation representation, analysis procedure, and the sensitivity of natural period, displacement, inter-storey drift, base shear, torsional response and damage measures. The reviewed evidence shows a consistent tendency for decreasing soil stiffness to increase effective period, foundation movement, lateral displacement and drift. In contrast, base-shear trends are not universally monotonic because period elongation can either reduce or amplify spectral demand depending on the soil profile, structural period, foundation system and frequency content of earthquake excitation. Irregular and high-rise systems are especially sensitive because translational, rocking and torsional modes interact, while direct continuum and nonlinear soil-foundation models reveal response features that fixed-base idealisations cannot capture. The review further identifies growing use of nonlinear time-history, fragility and reliability approaches, but highlights persistent limitations associated with simplified soil models, inconsistent benchmark configurations, limited validation and insufficient treatment of uncertainty. Future work should prioritise standardised benchmark models, layered and nonlinear soil behaviour, foundation-system effects, hazard-consistent ground-motion selection, torsional response of irregular buildings, and experimental or field validation. The review concludes that SSI should be treated as a response-modifying mechanism whose effect can be beneficial or detrimental depending on the coupled soil-foundation-structure system.

Keywords: Soil-Structure Interaction, Reinforced Concrete Buildings, Seismic Response, Soft Soil, Storey Drift, Torsional Irregularity, Response Spectrum Analysis, Foundation Flexibility

How to Cite?: Sanket Vijay Wadekar, G. V. Joshi, "Soil-Structure Interaction Effects on the Seismic Performance of Reinforced Concrete Buildings: A Critical Review", Volume 15 Issue 8, August 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 561-566, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR26807211601, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR26807211601

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