Shake table tests of structures subject to pounding

Pounding between adjacent structures during earthquakes may significantlymodify their response in terms of forces and displacements. In addition, it hasa considerable influence on acceleration and thus on floor response spectra.Therefore, pounding may be unfavorable to the response of equipment. Despiteextensive research in this field, the effects of pounding on structures are difficultto quantify accurately. This article presents results of shake table tests carried outon two representative scale adjacent structures subject to pounding. Besidesinvestigating the effects of the gap between structures and the excitation signal,this study examines also the effect of tying the two structures together by meansof rigid links to suppress pounding. The results of the experimental campaign arethen compared with those of numerical simulations. Analyses and experimentalresults show good agreement regarding both impact forces and interstorey drifts