Analysis for a Type of Structural Pounding

Abstract

The formulation and solution of the multiple degree of freedom equations of motion for a type of structural pounding are presented. The subject building undergoes pounding at a single floor level with a rigid adjacent building. The theory is implemented into a microcomputer program and sample analyses of an actual 15‐story building are performed to study the response behaviors. Pounding generates drifts, shears, and overturning moments in the stories above the pounding location that are greater than those from the case where pounding is ignored. It is concluded that: (1) Neglecting the effects of possible pounding leads to unconservative building design; (2) the sample analyses response behavior trends are robust thereby providing insight into the response behavior of other buildings; and (3) pounding can be studied on a case‐by‐case basis using the analytical tools presented in the paper (provided the formulation applies to the case of interest).