Abstract

Different modelling aspects of structures isolated using the frictional pendulum system and subjected to earthquake ground motions are studied herein. Although the vertical dynamics of these structures is given special emphasis, other effects such as large isolator deformations and bidirectional input motion are also considered. Different structural models of the FPS are developed and tested for single‐storey structures and a real four‐storey building frame; among them, an ‘exact’ formulation of the FPS force–deformation constitutive relationship is presented. Results show that global building responses can be computed within 20 per cent error in the mean using a simplified model that ignores the vertical motion of the building; however, structural member deformations and forces need to be computed using a model that considers such motion. This is of particular importance when there exist correlation between the horizontal and vertical components of ground motion. Further, a physical model of the FPS is introduced and used to determine the response of a real four‐storey frame, including uplift and downward impact. Results from this analysis show that local column responses may vary substantially depending on the stiffness of the isolation storey and the presence of a mass at the isolation level. Such mass is capable of filtering the large increase in column shear that results from the impact of the structure after uplift. Uplift occurs at several instants of the response of the structure considered, leading to an increase in column base shear as large as 3 times the shear obtained by ignoring the vertical dynamics of the building.