Rocking and rolling of rigid polygons under seismic excitation
Author(s)
Rasheed, Atif
Málaga‐Chuquitaype, Christian
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
We present an event driven analytical framework for rigid cyclic polygons subjected to horizontal ground excitation in which uplift, impact, and successive pivot switching are treated within a unified non-smooth dynamical description. Rolling is defined as a sequence of energetically admissible transitions between neighbouring vertices tied to geometry, restitution, and excitation intensity. We demonstrate that the motion of a repetitive polygonal assembly layer can be reduced to a classical rocking equation with a modified frequency parameter governed by polygon geometry and superstructure-to-polygon mass ratio. By idealising rolling as a repeatable kinematic mechanism, response regimes are mapped as functions of polygon resolution and irregularity. Relevant response metrics are quantified, including cumulative maximum and cumulative permanent rotations, acceleration amplification, and energy dissipation. Increasing polygon resolution is found to promote bounded rolling-dominated regimes while reducing peak acceleration demands. When subjected to real earthquake records, more irregular polygons generally exhibit lower cumulative rotations across the range of intensities analysed, whereas peak accelerations remain strongly influenced by discrete impact events and by earthquake duration scaling. The proposed framework provides a preliminary rational basis for understanding rigid-body rocking-rolling isolation systems governed by geometry and contact kinematics.
Date Issued
2026-10-01
Date Acceptance
2026-06-26
Citation
Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics, 2026, 55 (12), pp.3161-3180
ISSN
0098-8847
Publisher
Wiley
Start Page
3161
End Page
3180
Journal / Book Title
Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics
Volume
55
Issue
12
Copyright Statement
© 2026 The Author(s). Earthquake Engineering & Structural Dynamics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
License URL
Identifier
10.1002/eqe.70244
Subjects
cyclic polygons
irregularity
pulse-like ground motion
rocking polygon
rolling polygon
seismic isolation
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2026-07-14