Dynamics of Structure and Foundation – A Unified Approach 1. Fundamentals

Abstract

The idea of writing this book first took its root, while I was working with Bechtel way back in 1996–97. The company was building a power plant in India and it was my first interaction with US engineers sitting across the table. The work was executed in an extremely congenial atmosphere, except for concerning one aspect, which amused me to no end. Whenever it came to any structures or foundations, related to dynamic analysis, I could very well sense the innate reluctance of my overseas colleagues, who were not so sure about the capability of the New Delhi office and the Indian Engineers on this topic. It surely took me by surprise, for, from 1970–1990, India has taken giant leaps in terms of technology. We have installed our own power plants ranging from 210 to 500 MW. We have indigenously built our own nuclear power plants, developed our own short and long range missiles ameliorating our defense, designed and built our own offshore facilities in Bombay, etc. Rummaging through literature, I was genuinely shocked to realize that though many Indian engineers, scientists and academician have contributed significantly in terms of national and international research papers, enriching this magnificent subject, yet nobody had written a book on dynamics that could compete in international market. Except for the book titled A Handbook of Machine foundation by Vaidyanathan and Srinivasalu there is hardly any long standing book prevalent in the national or international market, which has emerged out of India, pertaining to dynamics! Dynamics per se is a funny subject. In spite of its firm existence in the realm of civil engineering for last 70 years or more, it is a topic that is still abhorred by many and loved by few. I believe this is mostly due to the terse and oblique way many academicians often teach the subject, without giving the requisite background. I would not like to furnish any apologies (except for in very few cases) we have never tried to pose that we are smart (or elegant for that matter) and tried to show you the intricacies and subtle nuances of this mystic topic in almost a story-telling session. If you are really interested in this subject, I do believe that reading this book would be a fun session for you; for we firmly believe that if you do not enjoy what you are reading, learning a topic is always difficult.