Energy-based framework for designing pinned rocking systems with dissipative devices

Traditional seismic design has primarily aimed to prevent structural collapse, often accepting significant damage that compromises building functionality and necessitates extensive repairs. In response, a low-damage design philosophy has emerged, prioritizing structural safety, minimizing residual damage, preserving operational continuity, and reducing post-earthquake costs. Among the various strategies, rocking systems – such as pinned rocking configurations – offer an effective balance between high performance and ease of post-event restoration. However, the comparative evaluation of dissipation mechanisms and layout configurations within these systems remains limited, and a systematic methodology for optimizing their design while minimizing material usage has yet to be developed. This study presents a comprehensive iterative energy-based design methodology for pinned rocking systems, potentially enhanced with supplementary dissipative devices. The investigated designs include rocking systems equipped with either viscous dampers or self-centering mechanisms at the base, as well as configurations incorporating diagonal dampers that link the rocking system to the primary structural frame. A multi-stripe analysis is conducted to evaluate the benefits and limitations of the proposed rocking system configurations and to assess the effectiveness of the energy-based design approach.