EVALUATION OF THE POUNDING FORCES DURING EARTHQUAKE USING EXPLICIT DYNAMIC TIME INTEGRATION METHOD

Pounding effects during earthquake is a subject of high significance for structural engineers performing in the urban areas. In this paper, two ways to account for structural pounding are used in a MATLAB code, namely classical stereomechanics approach and nonlinear viscoelastic impact element. The numerical study is performed on SDOF structures acted by ELCentro recording. While most of the studies available in the literature are related to Newmark implicit time integration method, in this study the equations of motion are numerical integrated using central finite difference method, an explicit method, having the main advantage that in the displacement at the ith+1 step is calculated based on the loads from the ith step. Thus, the collision is checked and the pounding forces are taken into account into the equation of motion in an easier manner than in an implicit integration method. First, a comparison is done using available data in the literature. Both linear and nonlinear behavior of the structures during earthquake is further investigated. Several layout scenarios are also investigated, in which one or more weak buildings are adjacent to a stiffer building. One of the main findings in this paper is related to the behavior of a weak structure located between two stiff structures.