Numerical Analysis of Rigid Body Behaviour

Abstract:

The methodical study of seismic safeguard of artistic heritage has considerably spreaded in the last years, thus increasing researchers’ interest in problems concerning monumental buildings. In particular, the seismic safety of art objects, that are the objects generally contained within Museums, is a research field of great interest, being part of research and policy in the more general field of Cultural Heritage, with contribution of several local government and European research grants. It must be noted, in fact, that buildings of historical and cultural significance may contain objects of inestimable value, for which there is no assessment of their effective vulnerability related to how they are displayed or stored. The case of statues and ceramics placed on pedestals, not equipped with any isolation system capable of mitigating the oscillations induced by possible earthquakes can be just considered as an example. This paper focuses the attention on this last problem, i.e. objects that can be considered as rigid bodies simply supported on the main structure, leaving out of account the filter’s effect due to the action of structure on the show-case or furniture. This problem is the same of a large class of non-structural components, such as mechanical and electrical hospital and laboratory equipment that can lose their functionality because of earthquake motions, and structural problem, such as isolated constructions made of superimposed rigid blocks in archaeological areas. The results of a numerical analysis on the rocking behaviour of rigid bodies are compared with experimental dynamic tests performed on simple shaped objects made of different materials and simply supported on a shaking table.

• Periodical: Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volume 847)
• Pages: 240-247
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.847.240
• Online since: July 2016
• Authors: Antonio Gesualdo, Antonino Iannuzzo*, Maria Teresa Guadagnuolo, Antonio Guerriero, Michela Monaco, Maria Teresa Savino
• Keywords: Experimental Tests, Rigid Block, Rocking, Theoretical Models

References

[1] W.G. Housner, The behaviour of inverted pendulum structures during earthquake, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Amer., 53 (2) (1963) 404-417.

[2] M. Aslam, W. Godden, D. Scalise, Earthquake rocking response on rigid bodies, Journal of the Structural Division ASCE, 106 (2) (1980) 377-392.

DOI: 10.1061/jsdeag.0005363

[3] M.F. Dimentberg, Y. K. Lin, R. Zhang, Toppling of Computer – Type Equipment Under Base Excitation, Journal of Engineering Mechanics, American Society of Civil Engineers, 119 (1) (1993) 145-160.

DOI: 10.1061/(asce)0733-9399(1993)119:1(145)

[4] P. Spanos, A.S. Koh, Rocking of rigid blocks due to harmonic shaking, Journal of Engineering Mechanics, ASCE, 110 (11) (1984) 1627–1642.

DOI: 10.1061/(asce)0733-9399(1984)110:11(1627)

[5] H.W. Shenton, Criteria for initiation of slide, rock, and slide-rock rigid-body modes, Journal of Engineering Mechanics, ASCE, 122 (7) (1996) 690–693.

DOI: 10.1061/(asce)0733-9399(1996)122:7(690)

[6] G. Augusti, A. Sinopoli, Modelling the dynamic of large block structures, Meccanica, 27 (3) (1992) 195-211.

DOI: 10.1007/bf00430045

[7] N. Makris, J. Zhang, Rocking Response and Overturning of Anchored Blocks under Pulse-Type Motions, Journal of Engineering Mechanics, ASCE, 127 (5) (2001) 484-493.

DOI: 10.1061/(asce)0733-9399(2001)127:5(484)

[8] M. Monaco, M. Guadagnuolo, A. Gesualdo, The role of friction in the seismic risk mitigation of freestanding art objects. Natural Hazards, 73 (2) (2014 ) 389-402, doi: 10. 1007/s11069-014-1076-9.

DOI: 10.1007/s11069-014-1076-9

[9] S. Wolfram, The Mathematica Book, Wolfram Media, Champaign, IL, USA, (2003).