PSI - Issue 78

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ScienceDirect

Procedia Structural Integrity 78 (2026) 1975–1982

© 2025 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of XX ANIDIS Conference organizers Keywords: seismic assessment, rocking, nonstructural, rigid blocks, numerical modeling, experimental testing, SPONSE. Abstract Freestanding nonstructural elements are often governed by rigid motion under seismic actions, and relatively slender elements are likely to be governed by rocking behavior. Rocking behavior can be critical since (a) it could be activated under relatively low intensity actions, (b) it could be associated with relatively large rotation amplitudes and displacements, and (c) it is highly nonlinear and unstable. The study critically reviews the literature and code provisions regarding the seismic assessment of nonstructural elements governed by rocking motion, also accounting for building contents. Theoretical, experimental, numerical, and observational methods and applications are examined to highlight recent advances, current limitations and challenges, and future directions. The motivation stems from the observation that, although several studies have addressed this issue over the past decade, literature remains fragmented, and it lacks coordinated programmatic development strategies. Indeed, the exceptional recent growth in this field underscores the need for a comprehensive synthesis of findings, clearer identification of unresolved issues, and the establishment of consistent research trajectories aimed at enhancing seismic safety and mitigating the risk associated with rocking nonstructural elements. To this end, the present paper identifies critical knowledge gaps and methodological limitations, offering interpretative insights and outlining potential research pathways. XX ANIDIS Conference Seismic assessment of rocking nonstructural elements: advances, challenges, and future directions Alessandro Contento a, *, Danilo D’Angela b , Carmen Rosaria Addeo b , and Gennaro Magliulo b,c a University, College of Civil Engineering, Research Park Xue Yuan Road, Fuzhou, China b University of Naples Federico II, Department of Structures for Engineering and Architecture Via Claudio 21, 80125 Naples, Italy c National Research Council (CNR), Construction Technologies Institute (ITC) Via Lombardia 49, 20098 San Giuliano Milanese, Italy 1Fuzhou

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +86 150 59455487 E-mail address: alessandro@fzu.edu

2452-3216 © 2025 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of XX ANIDIS Conference organizers 10.1016/j.prostr.2025.12.251