Abstract: By using an equivalent uniform viscoelastic artificial boundary, a finite element analysis of the overall seismic performance of foundations and structures composed of layered soils is carried out. The equivalent consistent viscoelastic boundary is applied to the truncated foundation boundary through the spring-damper function supported in ABAQUS, and the earthquake action is suspended by extracting the equivalent nodes of the foundation in the model and applying different equivalent node forces to them. Results indicate that the rubber sand foundation effectively reduce the displacement of the structure, with a maximum reduction of 22.96%, and the maximum displacement reduction is at the structure height of 22 m, with the maximum displacement angle reduction of 0.1642%. Compared with the original foundation, the acceleration of the rubber sand foundation is significantly lower than that of the original foundation, while the acceleration at the bottom of the structure is higher than that of the original foundation, with the maximum acceleration at the nodes higher than that at other locations. Compared with the original foundation, the internal stress of the structure is reduced in the rubber sand foundation. However, the stress at the bottom of the structure is increased. At the same time, both the normal and the shear stress value at the node are higher than other positions, indicating these locations are more susceptible to failure.

Key words: earthquake, viscoelastic boundary, finite element analysis, rubber sand