The Earthquake Engineering Online Archive

Rocking response of rigid blocks to earthquakes

Yim, Chik-Sing; Chopra, Anil K.; Penzien, Joseph

UCB/EERC-80/02, Earthquake Engineering Research Center, University of California, Berkeley, 1980-01, 74 pages (425.6/Y55/1980)

This investigation deals with the rocking response of rigid blocks subjected to earthquake ground motion. A numerical procedure and computer program are developed to solve the nonlinear equations of motion governing the rocking motion of rigid blocks on rigid bases subjected to horizontal and vertical ground motions. The response results presented show that the response of the block is very sensitive to small changes in its size and slenderness ratio and to the details of ground motion. It is concluded that probabilistic estimates of the intensity of ground shaking may be obtained from its observed effects on monuments, minarets, tombstones, and other similar objects provided suitable data in sufficient quantity is available and the estimates are based on probabilistic analyses of the rocking response of rigid blocks, considering their nonlinear dynamic behavior.

Available online: http://nisee.berkeley.edu/documents/EERC/EERC-80-02.pdf (3 MB)