ROCKING PILLAR ISOLATION SYSTEM FOR MASONRY HOUSES

—Analytical study on effect of mass eccentricity and a proposal of basic design method—

Abstract

In developing countries of seismic area, many people have to live in traditional masonry houses. Though collapse of the houses is one of the most tragic losses of human lives, shift of the houses to construction based on modern engineering is difficult by socioeconomic reason. The authors have been developing a rocking pillar base isolation system suitable for masonry houses. Seismic performance of the system was discussed by vibration test of reduced scale specimen and numerical analysis in the previous paper. In this paper, we considered effect of mass eccentricity of the system with full-scale model analysis and applicability of response prediction using energy balance. Finally, we propose a basic design method for rocking pillar isolation system.