A simplified model for rocking panels with friction connections

In recent decades, various rocking systems have been proposed to enhance the self-centring capacity of structures after seismic events. Sometimes dissipative devices have been added to control peak lateral displacements. However, the computational models currently available in the literature are not suitable for practitioners because they require the solution of complex differential equations describing the negative tangent stiffness that characterises the intrinsic instability of rocking motion. To address this issue, this study explores a simplified model for rocking panels with panel-to-panel friction connections, potentially combined with moment-resisting frames. The remarkable sliding stiffness of these connections enables to simulate the system as a SDOF oscillator adapting original Displacement-Based Design (DBD) procedures, without the need to resort to closed-form solutions. The accuracy of the model is validated by comparing its results to pseudo-dynamic tests on a precast industrial building reported in the literature. •The study investigates self-centring rocking walls equipped with special dissipative connections.•A simple linear equivalent calculation tool is developed arranging the original Displacement-Based Design (DBD) method.•Compared NLTH analyses and other calculation models, the proposed tool benefits from its simplicity and greatly reduced computational time.•To prove its reliability, the same has been validated through pseudo-dynamic tests carried out on a full-scale prototype of a precast industrial building.