Towards a seismic worst scenario approach for rocking systems: analytical and experimental set-up for dynamic response

The paper focuses on the problem of the assessment of the response of structures behaving like rocking rigid blocks with unilateral constraints under dynamic loading. Although the motion of rigid blocks simulated by means of ad hoc built calculus codes shows good agreement between the numerical results and the data recorded in the laboratory tests, the response of such a system is poorly robust, and results can be very different in dependence of a number of factors, thus making final assessment rather uncertain. The developments presented and discussed represent the premise pushing towards the adoption of approaches aimed at searching for the worst possible rocking response and eventually based on iterative optimisation procedures.