A common assumption in earth-quake analysis is that the founda-tion of a structure is fixed rigidly to the ground, and that there is ho uplift under earthquake excitation. This investigation, carried out as a 3rd Year Undergraduate Research Project in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Bristol, aimed to qualitatively examine such an effect on the structural response of a model. Current design codes adopt a specific level of internal structural damping. The primary conclusion of this investigation is that foundation uplift introduces a significant external damping mechanism. This increases overall system damping leading to a marked reduction in structural deformation.
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