Masonry constructions activate rocking motions endeavouring to elude the
action of horizontal impulse accelerations, typical of seismic actions. They
can reach the dynamical collapse under acceleration impulse with intensity
much higher than the one that causes the static collapse. Sudden changes of
mechanisms take place during the rocking with the occurrence of impacts and
consequent energy losses. Research on the topic has been generally carried out
examining various schemes of structural components, as a rule considered or as
a solid block or subdivided in a sequence of blocks connected by hinges.
Innovative aspect of the paper, on the contrary, that collects also some results of
the author, is the analysis of the influence on the rocking motion at the
onset of oblique cracks that sway diagonally during the rocking of masonry
walls.
Keywords
masonry piers and walls, rocking, cracking, acceleration
pulse
