Shaking table dataset on the rocking response of masonry blocks under pulses and ground motion records

This dataset presents a comprehensive experimental investigation of the rocking dynamic response of free-standing limestone blocks subjected to forced vibrations. The data were obtained from an extensive experimental campaign comprising 705 shaking-table tests.

The experimental program includes tests performed using sine-pulse excitations and recorded ground motion records. The sine-pulse tests provide the basis for the derivation of experimental overturning spectra, enabling the identification of the transition between safe rocking and collapse as a function of excitation amplitude and frequency. Tests conducted under recorded ground motions support probabilistic analyses of the block response and facilitate the development of experimentally informed fragility curves.

The dataset reports the block response in the form of raw data, directly extracted from the digital image correlation acquisition system, and processed data, obtained through a dedicated post-processing methodology for the reconstruction of the blocks’ three-dimensional motion. In addition, the shaking-table input is systematically provided in the form of recorded displacement and acceleration time histories.

The experiments were carried out at the Structural Laboratory of the Department of Civil Engineering of the University of Minho (Guimarães, Portugal), within the scope of the “New STANDards for Seismic Assessment of Built Cultural HERITAGE” (STAND4HERITAGE) project (https://doi.org/10.3030/833123).