Seismic response of slender rigid structures with foundation uplifting

The rocking of rigid structures uplifting from their support under strong earthquake shaking is investigated. The structure is resting on the surface of either a rigid base or a linearly elastic continuum. A large-displacement approach is adopted to extract the governing equations of motion allowing for a rigorous calculation of the nonlinear response even under near-overturning conditions. Directivity-affected near-fault ground motions, idealized as Ricker wavelets or trigonometric pulses, are used as excitation. The conditions under which uplifting leads to large angles of rotation and eventually to overturning are investigated. A profoundly nonlinear rocking behavior is revealed for both rigid and elastic soil conditions. This geometrically nonlinear response is further amplified by unfavorable sequences of long-duration pulses in the excitation. Moreover, through the overturning response of a toppled tombstone, it is concluded that the practice of estimating ground accelerations from overturning observations is rather misleading and meaningless. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.