A Simplified Model to Evaluate the Dynamic Rocking Behavior of Irregular Free-Standing Rigid Bodies Calibrated with Experimental Shaking-Table Tests

Abstract

A simplified model to evaluate the dynamic rocking behavior of free-standing irregular rigid bodies under earthquake-induced forces is proposed. The model analyzes the response of a three-dimensional irregular rigid body using a numerical approach that considers a critical section and two equivalent rectangular rigid blocks. Experimental shaking-table tests were carried out on modular prototypes, which allow the replication of representative mass distributions, sizes, and/or slenderness ratios for typical objects. The tests were used to calibrate the numerical model. It was found that the dynamic behavior under irregular conditions (asymmetrical shape and/or non-uniform mass distribution) can be estimated with the appropriate geometric and density considerations.