Direct displacement-based seismic design of propped rocking walls

A direct displacement-based design (DDBD) methodology is described for propped rocking walls (PRWs). PRWs represent a novel seismic force-resisting system that combines passive supplemental damping devices with unbonded post-tensioned concrete rocking walls. The key aspect of the proposed design procedure is the closed-form derivation of the stabilized hysteretic response of PRWs under reverse cyclic loading. This allows the direct application of the DDBD procedure to satisfy desired displacement performance objectives under prescribed levels of seismic intensity. Nonlinear response analyses are conducted on a prototype PRW structure, designed according to the proposed DDBD procedure to evaluate its performance under strong ground shaking.