Displacement based design of post-tensioned timber framed buildings with dissipative rocking mechanism

Abstract This paper presents a seismic displacement-based design method for post-tensioned timber (Pres-Lam) framed buildings equipped with passive energy dissipation systems. In displacement-based design a target drift is specified, then the corresponding design forces are determined in order to size the post-tensioning and dissipative devices. The design procedure has been applied to a 2/3 scaled, 3-dimensional, 3-storey post-tensioned timber framed building. Yielding steel angles were used to create a dissipative rocking mechanism at the beam-column and column-foundation connections. The specimen was constructed and dynamically tested at the structural laboratory of the University of Basilicata, as part of a collaborative campaign with the University of Canterbury. Shaking table tests were performed considering different specimen configurations, without (free rocking) and with (dissipative rocking) the addition of dissipative steel angles. Seismic testing confirmed the effectiveness of hysteretic energy dissipation systems on the reduction of the maximum inter-storey drift. Experimental results are compared with non-linear dynamic analysis in order to verify the reliability of the design procedure.