A Linear Complementarity Approach for the Non-convex Seismic Frictional Interaction between Adjacent Structures under Instabilizing Effects

Abstract

The paper deals with a numerical treatment of the dynamic hemivariational inequality problem concerning the elastoplastic-fracturing unilateral contact with friction between neighboring structures under second-order geometric effects during earthquakes. The numerical procedure is based on an incremental problem formulation and on a double discretization, in space by the finite element method and in time by the Houbolt method. The generally nonconvex constitutive contact laws are piece-wise linearized, and in each time-step a nonconvex linear complementarity problem is solved with a reduced number of unknowns.