Comparison of numerical models of impact force for simulation of earthquake-induced structural pounding

Abstract

Structural pounding during earthquakes is a complex phenomenon involving plastic deformations, local cracking, etc. The aim of the present paper is to check the accuracy of three pounding force numerical models, such as: the linear viscoelastic model, the non-linear elastic model following the Hertz law of contact and the non-linear viscoelastic model. In the analysis, the results of numerical simulations have been compared with the results of an impact experiment conducted by dropping balls of different building materials. The results of the study indicate that the non-linear viscoelastic model is the most precise one in simulating the pounding force time history during impact. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.