EARTHQUAKE SIMULATOR TESTING OF POUNDING BETWEEN ADJACENT BUILDINGS

Two-storey-building frames have been designed and built in an effort to investigate the pounding phenomenon of adjacent buildings during earthquakes. Static tests have been first performed to determine the static characteristics and the support conditions of the test structures, Sinusoidal and random acceleration signal tests have been subsequently performed to determine the dynamic characteristics of the test structures. Two series of tests were carried out using the shaking table simulator. In the first case, the dynamic response has been recorded without pounding, while in the second case, the test structures have been placed with zero-gap separation and pounding was induced. Input energy time histories were correlated and compared with and without pounding. The experimental results were compared with analytical ones based on a formulation of the contact impact problem by the Lagrange multiplier method. Good agreement between the experimental and the analytical results was achieved.