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Linearised response of arched structures under pulse-type excitation

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Abstract

Seismic response of masonry arches is examined in this study through analytical and numerical methods. Emphasis is placed on the low-amplitude levels where linearisation techniques may be efficient. When dealing with monumental arches of fragmented masonry, rocking rotation even in low levels is most often undesirable as it may lead to severe permanent displacements and dislocation of the arch axis, and sometimes to general instability of the structure. It is therefore of great importance to develop simplified procedures for estimating the levels of such low-amplitude arch response in earthquake-prone regions. Near-source ground excitation at the base of the structure is idealised with rectangular and cycloidal pulses. The analysis is limited to the prior-to-impact regime in which rocking occurs between successive fragments (voussoirs). This limitation does not prevent from extracting conclusions, as the prior-to-impact state is the most crucial to rocking response and it can determine whether the structure will undergo rocking vibration or eventually overturns. For simplicity, a specific kinematic mechanism of the fragmented arch, well known in the literature, is implemented throughout the study, thus allowing for comparison of the results with existing solutions. This idealisation is justified as the predominant mechanism from both previous analytical and experimental studies. A good correlation of the results between simplified closed-form solutions and rigorous semi-analytical methods is accomplished. Moreover, these results are also quite close to those of the 2D finite element analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Civil Engineering, National Technical University, Athens, Greece

    A. Leontari & M. Apostolou

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  1. A. Leontari
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  2. M. Apostolou
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Correspondence to A. Leontari.

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Leontari, A., Apostolou, M. Linearised response of arched structures under pulse-type excitation. Arch Appl Mech 88, 1121–1137 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00419-018-1362-1

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