CHARACTERISTICS OF FRAME ROCKING WALL STRUCTURE AND ITS APPLICATION IN ASEISMIC RETROFIT

A rocking structure is a novel seismic resistance structure system. By releasing constraints in some parts of a structure, relative displacements at specific locations are allowed, the stress states of structural components are changed, and seismic performance is improved. A frame rocking wall structure is a kind of rocking structure, in which the rocking walls can rotate in plane around the connectors at the respective bottom. The releasing of the constraints at the bottom of the walls reduces the strength demand, and the damage of the walls under earthquakes can be avoided. Rocking walls with relative large stiffness can control deformation pattern effectively, avoiding concentration of deformation and damage. A distributed parameter model of a frame rocking wall was developed, and the effects of the wall stiffness on the displacement distribution, the capacity of the wall and the frame were investigated based on the model. An application of the rocking wall on seismic retrofit of a structure was studied. The retrofit construction and connection details are presented. The original structure and the rocking wall retrofitted models are compared based on time history analysis. The comparison results show that the retrofit by the rocking wall can effectively realize a uniform distribution of plastic hinges, and the prestressed tendon and application of metal damper significantly increase the energy dissipation ability and decrease the residual deformation of a structure.