Civil Engineering Association

Development of pounding model for adjacent structures in earthquakes

Building pounding, a frequently recurrent problem in strong earthquakes,
occurs when there is inadequate separation between adjacent structures. Several models have been proposed for the calculation of the resultant impact force, and its effect on the participating structures. This study analyzes two impact models, viz. the elastoplastic impact model by van Mier et al and the nonlinear viscoelastic impact element proposed by Jankowski and proposes a new impact model. The proposed viscous elastoplastic impact element combines all three properties of viscosity, elasticity and plasticity in an impact element for the first time. The plastic effect may be due to the material yielding at the contact location of the participating structures. A sample numerical investigation is presented for the seismic pounding between two adjacent buildings due to the 1940 North South El-Centro ground motions. The results show that the time history of the roof displacement of the participating structures is significantly different and the maximum displacement is reduced when the new model is employed when compared to the results obtained from numerical simulations using a nonlinear viscoelastic impact element.