Earthquake Response Analysis of Yielding Structures Coupled with Rocking Walls

Abstract: This paper investigates the inelastic response of a yielding structure coupled with a rocking wall which can be vertically restrained. The paper first derives the nonlinear equations of motion of a yielding oscillator coupled with a vertically restrained rocking wall and the dependability of the one-degree of freedom idealization is validated against the nonlinear time-history response analysis of a well-known 9-story moment-resisting steel frame that is coupled with a stepping rocking wall. While, the coupling of weak building frames with rocking walls is an efficient strategy that controls inelastic deformations by enforcing a uniform interstory-drift distribution, therefore, avoiding mid-story failures, the paper shows that even for medium-rise buildings the effect of vertical tendons on the inelastic structural response is marginal, with the exception of increasing the vertical reactions at the pivoting points of the rocking wall. Accordingly, the paper, concludes that for medium- to high-rise buildings vertical tendons in rocking walls are not beneficial.