Seismic Pounding Dynamics in Adjacent Structures

Seismic pounding refers to the collision of neighbouring buildings during earthquake‐induced ground motions when insufficient separation exists between them. Such impacts can amplify structural damage, alter dynamic behaviour and compromise seismic resilience, particularly in densely built urban environments. Research over the past decades has elucidated the influence of building properties—including mass, stiffness, natural period and plan irregularity—on pounding severity. Experimental tests, numerical simulations and probabilistic assessments have been combined to quantify key parameters such as impact force, inter‐storey drift and energy dissipation. Methodologies now account for complex effects such as torsional irregularity, soil–structure interaction and inelastic deformation of structural elements. Together, these advances inform the design of appropriate seismic gaps, retrofitting strategies using viscous dampers or linking devices, and performance‐based assessments to mitigate the global risk of pounding in adjacent structures.

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Recent studies have established mathematical models to predict the minimum separation gap required to prevent collision between mid‐rise steel‐frame buildings. Through combined experimental and numerical investigation, equations tailored to peak ground acceleration levels enable engineers to calculate seismic gaps for various height combinations, enhancing safety without excessive spacing. Complementing this, three‐dimensional time‐history analyses of adjacent five‐storey and nine‐storey models have incorporated torsional irregularity, revealing that eccentric configurations exacerbate displacement demands and inter‐storey drifts when pounding occurs. The study emphasises careful selection of ground motion records to capture variability in impact forces and structural response. Further work applies probabilistic frameworks to steel and reinforced concrete frames under pounding scenarios, introducing seismic Probability Factors that streamline fragility assessments and facilitate retrofitting decisions. These factors quantify changes in performance levels due to collision effects, offering practitioners coefficient values to incorporate pounding consequences into retrofit design without resorting to fully nonlinear analyses.

Seismic Pounding Dynamics in Adjacent Structures publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in seismic pounding dynamics in adjacent structures across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Seismic pounding: Collision phenomena between adjacent structures during earthquake ground shaking when separation gaps are inadequate.

Separation gap: Horizontal clearance between neighbouring buildings intended to accommodate relative displacements and prevent impact.

Torsional irregularity: Uneven distribution of stiffness or mass in plan that induces rotational responses and affects collision severity.

Soil–structure interaction (SSI): The mutual influence between ground flexibility and building dynamics, which modifies pounding forces and structural response.

Probability Factor (PF): A coefficient quantifying the likelihood and impact of seismic pounding on performance levels, used in probabilistic seismic assessments.

References

1. A Mathematical Approach for Predicting Sufficient Separation Gap between Adjacent Buildings to Avoid Earthquake-Induced Pounding. Civil Engineering Journal (2023).
2. Seismic pounding of adjacent buildings considering torsional effects. Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering (2024).
3. Seismic probabilistic assessment of steel and reinforced concrete structures including earthquake-induced pounding. Archives of Civil and Mechanical Engineering (2024).
4. Linking of adjacent three-storey buildings for mitigation of structural pounding during earthquakes. Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering (2016).
5. Earthquake-induced pounding between equal height multi-storey buildings considering soil-structure interaction. Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering (2013).
6. Optimal retrofit strategy using viscous dampers between adjacent RC and SMRFs prone to earthquake-induced pounding. Archives of Civil and Mechanical Engineering (2022).