In this study, the effect of the vertical component of earthquakes on the seismic response of a container crane was investigated by using the shake table test on a 1/20 scale container crane. The effect was investigated by comparing the seismic response of the container crane when subjected to the horizontal component of earthquakes versus the horizontal and vertical components of earthquakes. The seismic responses of the container crane were compared based on acceleration responses, displacements, and internal forces. The main findings of this study are as follows: (1) Vertical acceleration response increased when the vertical and horizontal components of earthquakes were used simultaneously. A maximum increase of 79% was observed for the vertical acceleration response at the trolley-boom girder. The horizontal acceleration response either increased or decreased. The maximum difference was 24% when the container crane was subjected to horizontal component earthquakes versus horizontal and vertical component earthquakes. (2) The horizontal displacements of the container crane increased or decreased under the simultaneous action of the horizontal and vertical components of the earthquakes. The maximum difference was 278% with regard to the derailment of the seaside legs. (3) The internal forces at the top of the lower legs were affected by adding the vertical component of the earthquakes. The maximum difference in the axial force response was 100%, while that of the bending moment was 24%. Therefore, the seismic response of container cranes should be analyzed with and without the vertical component of earthquakes to determine the most extreme case of the seismic response.
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