19WCSI – World Conference on Seismic Isolation at UC Berkeley
Published:
This September, I attended the 19th World Conference on Seismic Isolation, Energy Dissipation and Active Vibration Control of Structures (19WCSI), hosted at the University of California, Berkeley. I presented two papers:
"Seismic Isolation of Bridges with Damped Rocking Piers: A Case Study"
In this work, I examined slender, free-standing rocking bridge piers equipped with vertical hysteretic or viscous dampers, using a nonlinear dynamic formulation calibrated to the South Rangitikei Rail Bridge. The study shows that appropriately tuned vertical damping can control pier displacements and forces while preserving self-centering.
"Retrofit of Moment Resisting Frames with Rocking Walls"
This paper investigated stepping rocking shear walls as a retrofit strategy for a 9-story steel moment-resisting frame using nonlinear response-history analysis and FEMA P-58 performance assessment. The results indicate that rocking walls effectively suppress weak-story mechanisms, reduce residual drifts, and lower seismic damage probabilities and repair costs relative to the unretrofitted building.
