Influence of mass and contact surface on pounding response of RC structures

Pounding damage to bridges and buildings is observed in most major earthquakes. The damage mainly occurs in reinforced concrete slabs, e.g. building floors and bridge decks. This study presents the results from pounding of reinforced concrete slabs. A parametric investigation was conducted involving the mass of the pendulums, the relative velocities of impact and the geometry of the contact surface. The effect of these parameters on the coefficient of restitution and peak impact acceleration is shown. In contrast to predictions from numerical force models, it was observed that peak acceleration is independent of mass. The coefficient of restitution is affected by the impact velocity, total participating mass and the mass ratio of striker and struck block.