Rocking of Structures during Earthquakes: From Collapse of Masonry to Modern Design

At the 27th February 2013 evening meeting, Dr Matthew DeJong (University of Cambridge, Engineering Department) gave a presentation on rocking during earthquakes, drawing parallels between the collapse of masonry structures and the design of modern structures. The presentation primarily focused on pulse-type ground motions (such as those often measured near faults), and included discussion of scale effects, flexibility effects, and the need for better assessment and design methods. This paper summarises certain aspects of the presentation, and then provides a brief comparison of code-based methods for rocking assessment in response to post-presentation discussion.