Comparison of fundamental properties of new types of fiber‐mesh‐reinforced seismic isolators with conventional isolators

New types of fiber‐reinforced rubber‐based seismic isolators have been a research interest for a number of engineers in the past decade. These new types of isolators can have similar seismic performances compared with the conventional ones. In most of the previous researches, the fiber‐reinforced rubber‐based isolators is usually manufactured with placing fiber sheets between precut rubber layers with the use of a bonding agent. This research differs from the previous researches in terms of manufacturing process, use of fiber mesh instead of fiber sheets, and use of lead in the core for some of the bearings. The aim of this research is to provide comparisons in fundamental seismic response properties of the new type of fiber mesh reinforced isolators and conventional isolators. In this scope, four pairs of fiber mesh reinforced elastomeric bearings and four pairs of steel‐reinforced elastomeric bearings are subjected to various levels of compression stresses and cyclic shear strains under constant vertical pressure. The tested types of isolators are fiber mesh reinforced elastomeric bearing, fiber mesh reinforced elastomeric bearing with lead core, steel‐reinforced elastomeric bearings, and steel‐reinforced elastomeric bearings with lead core. In this research, steel‐reinforced bearings are called conventional isolators. The major advantage for fiber mesh reinforced bearings observed during the tests is that these isolators can develop a considerable low horizontal stiffness compared with the conventional isolators. The damping characteristics of the new and conventional types are similar to each other. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of mechanical degradation of laminated elastomeric bearings and shear keys upon seismic behaviors of small-to-medium-span highway bridges in transverse direction

Laminated elastomeric bearings have been widely used for small-to-medium-span highway bridges in China, in which concrete shear keys are set transversely to prohibit large girder displacement. To evaluate bridge seismic responses more accurately, proper analytical models of bearings and shear keys should be developed. Based on a series of cyclic loading experiments and analyses, rational analytical models of laminated elastomeric bearings and shear keys, which can consider mechanical degradation, were developed. The effect of the mechanical degradation was investigated by examining the seismic response of a small-to-medium-span bridge in the transverse direction under a wide range of peak ground accelerations (PGA). The damage mechanism for small-to-medium-span highway bridges was determined, which can explain the seismic damage investigation during earthquakes in recent years. The experimental results show that the mechanical properties of laminated elastomeric bearings will degrade due to friction sliding, but the degree of decrease is dependent upon the influencing parameters. It can be concluded that the mechanical degradation of laminated elastomeric bearings and shear keys play an important role in the seismic response of bridges. The degradation of mechanical properties of laminated elastomeric bearings and shear keys should be included to evaluate more precise bridge seismic performance.     

Effects of isolation on the seismic response of bridges designed for two different soil types

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of lead rubber isolators on the seismic response of bridges designed according to current codes for two different soil conditions: hard and medium type soils, in order to assess their applicability for the design of new bridges or retrofit of existing ones. The study was conducted for two levels of earthquake, one corresponding to a return period of 50 years and a service limit state, the other with a return period of 1,000 years and a failure limit state. Twenty one subduction earthquake records on the two types of soil were used to evaluate the linear and nonlinear dynamic response of a set of bridges designed for this purpose with and without base isolation. The response parameters evaluated are the maximum relative displacement on top of the piers, the maximum pier distortion, the maximum shear forces in the piers and the ductility demands for the isolators. The results presented are the average of these maxima for the various earthquakes. This study is an expansion of a previous one in which the seismic response of 36 bridges considering models with and without base isolators, structures with linear base isolators and bridges with nonlinear isolators. The results of this study confirm the conclusions previously obtained and show that the isolation can have beneficial effects even for bridges located in medium soil types.     

建筑用低硬度橡胶隔震支座界限性能和屈曲性能研究

本研究系统地对低硬度橡胶隔震支座的材料及力学性能进行了试验研究。研究用低硬度橡胶天然及铅芯橡胶隔震支座18种规格总计近30个大直径隔震支座。研究内容涉及低硬度橡胶隔震支座的基本力学性能，温度、压力、剪切变形、老化及徐变等相关性能，压缩界限、拉伸界限、极限剪切变形等界限性能和屈曲特性，以及橡胶材料性能和隔震工程应用等方面。本文主要介绍低硬度橡胶天然及铅芯隔震支座的压缩、拉伸、剪切等界限性能和屈曲应力与剪切应变的相关特性，文中提出了基于刚度因子建立的橡胶支座的界限压缩和界限拉伸应力评价方程，同时还给出了剪切变形状态下的屈曲应力评价方法。     

A mathematical hysteretic model for elastomeric isolation bearings

An analytical model for high damping elastomeric isolation bearings is presented in this paper. The model is used to describe mathematically the damping force and restoring force of the rubber material and bearing. Ten parameters to be identified from cyclic loading tests are included in the model. The sensitivity of the ten parameters in affecting the model is examined. These ten parameters are functions of a number of influence factors on the elastomer such as the rubber compound, Mullins effect, scragging effect, frequency, temperature and axial load. In this study, however, only the Mullins effect, scragging effect, frequency and temperature are investigated. Both material tests and shaking table tests were performed to validate the proposed model. Based on the comparison between the experimental and the analytical results, it is found that the proposed analytical model is capable of predicting the shear force–displacement hysteresis very accurately for both rubber material and bearing under cyclic loading reversals. The seismic response time histories of the bearing can also be captured, using the proposed analytical model, with a practically acceptable precision. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

AN ANALYTICAL HYSTERESIS MODEL FOR ELASTOMERIC SEISMIC ISOLATION BEARINGS

For the purpose of accurately predicting the seismic response of base-isolated structures, an analytical hysteresis model for elastomeric seismic isolation bearings is proposed. An extensive series of experimental tests of four types of seismic isolation bearings—two types of high-damping rubber bearings, one type of lead-rubber bearing and one type of silicon rubber bearing—was carried out with the objective of fully identifying their mechanical characteristics. The proposed model is capable of well-predicting the mechanical properties of each type of elastomeric bearing into the large strain range. Earthquake simulator tests were also conducted after the loading tests of the individual bearings. In order to show the validity of the proposed model, non-linear dynamic analyses were conducted to simulate the earthquake simulator test results. Good agreement between the experimental and analytical results shows that the model can be an effective numerical tool to predict not only the peak response value but also the force–displacement relationship of the isolators and floor response spectra for isolated structures. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pseudodynamic tests on rubber base isolators with numerical substructuring of the superstructure and strain‐rate effect compensation

A pseudodynamic testing procedure has been applied by which the seismic response of a base‐isolated building is obtained by using as specimen the isolators, while the superstructure is numerically simulated. The procedure also takes advantage of the continuous pseudodynamic testing capabilities of the ELSA laboratory, which increase the accuracy of the results and reduce the strain‐rate effect of the rubber bearings. A simple proportional correction of the measured forces compensates the remaining strain‐rate effect due to the unrealistic speed of the test. The correction factor is obtained by means of a characterizing test on the specific rubber isolators. The developed method has been successfully applied to the prediction of the seismic response of a base‐isolated four‐storey building submitted to several specified accelerograms. The results for those earthquakes as well as the effects of some changes of the parameters of the system are discussed. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

橡胶座非线性弹性回转剪切特性的理论和试验研究

本文系统地研究分析了橡胶隔震支座(以下简称为橡胶座)回转、剪切相关的基础理论,提出了能够反映剪切应变特性的非线性回转刚度等概念。基于非线性回转刚度与Haringx弹性体计算模型,给出了计算橡胶座回转、压缩、剪切特性的计算理论。针对回转剪切计算理论采用天然橡胶和铅芯橡胶座原型试件进行了回转刚度试验,以及变动回转、变动压力等状态的剪切试验,结果表明建立的计算理论能够较理想地分析橡胶座回转剪切相关的力和弯矩等力学特性。     

Evaluation of horizontal stiffness of fibre‐reinforced elastomeric isolators

Unbonded fibre‐reinforced elastomeric isolator (U‐FREI) is relatively new seismic base isolator in which fibre layers are used as reinforcement to replace steel shims as are normally used in conventional isolators. Further, the top and bottom end steel connector plates of conventional isolators are also removed. In general, the horizontal response of U‐FREI is nonlinear because of reduction in contact area due to rollover deformation and reduction in shear modulus of isolator under large deformation. Thus, evaluation of horizontal stiffness of U‐FREI is a challenging problem. Most previous studies were focused on the investigation of horizontal response of scaled models of U‐FREIs with low shape factors. A few analytical approaches were suggested for predicting the horizontal response of U‐FREI; but their results were not in good agreement with experimental observations. In the present study, the horizontal responses of prototype U‐FREIs are evaluated under a constant vertical pressure and cyclic loading using both experiments and finite element analysis. Prototype U‐FREIs with different shear moduli and with different shape factors are considered. Finite element simulations of corresponding bonded FREIs are also performed under the same loadings as in U‐FREIs. A rational analytical approach including the influence of rollover deformation and simultaneous reduction in shear modulus is proposed as a basic analytical tool for predicting the horizontal stiffness of FREIs (both bonded and unbonded). It is in reasonably good agreement with the results obtained from experiments and numerical analysis. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sensitivity analysis of carbon fiber-reinforced elastomeric isolators based on experimental tests and finite element simulations

Conventional steel-based rubber bearings are being replaced by fiber reinforced elastomeric isolators (FREI) due to their high weight and manufacturing cost. Compared to existing rubber bearings, FREIs have superior performance and as a result can control the seismic response of structures more efficiently. This study aims to simulate the performance of rectangular carbon FREIs (C-FREIs) produced through a simple and cost-effective manufacturing process. Additionally, the effect of different factors including the number and the thickness of rubber layers, as well as the thickness of carbon fiber reinforced sheets are investigated on the performance of C-FREIs through sensitivity analyses based on the results obtained from finite element simulations. The results show that by increasing the number and thickness of rubber layers, the efficiency of C-FREIs degrades in terms of vertical strength and damping capacity, however, the performance improves in terms of lateral flexibility. Another important observation is that the increasing thickness of fiber-reinforced layers can increase the vertical rigidity of the base isolator. The vertical stiffness has the most sensitivity to the thickness of elastomeric layers and the thickness of CFR sheets while, when the number of rubber layers increases, the effective lateral stiffness is mostly affected.     

An advanced numerical model of elastomeric seismic isolation bearings

The nuclear accident at Fukushima Daiichi in March 2011 has led the nuclear community to consider seismic isolation for new large light water and small modular reactors to withstand the effects of beyond design basis loadings, including extreme earthquakes. The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission is sponsoring a research project that will quantify the response of low damping rubber (LDR) and lead rubber (LR) bearings under loadings associated with extreme earthquakes. Under design basis loadings, the response of an elastomeric bearing is not expected to deviate from well‐established numerical models, and bearings are not expected to experience net tension. However, under extended or beyond design basis shaking, elastomer shear strains may exceed 300% in regions of high seismic hazard, bearings may experience net tension, the compression and tension stiffness will be affected by isolator lateral displacement, and the properties of the lead core in LR bearings will degrade in the short‐term because of substantial energy dissipation. New mathematical models of LDR and LR bearings are presented for the analysis of base isolated structures under design and beyond design basis shaking, explicitly considering both the effects of lateral displacement and cyclic vertical and horizontal loading. These mathematical models extend the available formulations in shear and compression. Phenomenological models are presented to describe the behavior of elastomeric isolation bearings in tension, including the cavitation and post‐cavitation behavior. The elastic mechanical properties make use of the two‐spring model. Strength degradation of LR bearing under cyclic shear loading due to heating of lead core is incorporated. The bilinear area reduction method is used to include variation of critical buckling load capacity with lateral displacement. The numerical models are coded in OpenSees, and the results of numerical analysis are compared with test data. The effect of different parameters on the response is investigated through a series of analyses. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

方形多铅芯橡胶支座力学性能研究

本文通过对方形多铅芯橡胶支座竖向压缩性能试验,水平剪切性能试验以及其等效刚度、屈服强度、屈服后刚度、等效阻尼比等水平特征参数与水平剪切应变和竖向压应力的关系,特别是对其在不同方向上压缩剪切变形状态下的性能试验,分析了这种隔震支座各种水平特征参数在不同方向上变化的相关规律。得出在这种类型橡胶隔震支座在双向水平荷载同时作用下,竖向性能和水平性能较为稳定,是较为理想的桥梁结构的减隔震装置。     

Study on effects of damping in laminated rubber bearings on seismic responses for a ⅛ scale isolated test structure

The effects of damping in various laminated rubber bearings (LRB) on the seismic response of a ?‐scale isolated test structure are investigated by shaking table tests and seismic response analyses. A series of shaking table tests of the structure were performed for a fixed base design and for a base isolation design. Two different types of LRB were used: natural rubber bearings (NRB) and lead rubber bearings (LLRB). Three different designs for the LLRB were tested; each design had a different diameter of lead plug, and thus, different damping values. Artificial time histories of peak ground acceleration 0.4g were used in both the tests and the analyses. In both shaking table tests and analyses, as expected, the acceleration responses of the seismically isolated test structure were considerably reduced. However, the shear displacement at the isolators was increased. To reduce the shear displacement in the isolators, the diameter of the lead plug in the LLRB had to be enlarged to increase isolator damping by more than 24%. This caused the isolator stiffness to increase, and resulted in amplifying the floor acceleration response spectra of the isolated test structure in the higher frequency ranges with a monotonic reduction of isolator shear displacement. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

桥梁隔震支座压缩剪切变形状态下竖向变形量研究

本文通过对不同参数的橡胶支座在压缩剪切变形状态下的竖向变形量进行了试验,分析了在压缩剪切变形状态下竖向变形量的特点。得出对RB支座,由剪切和弯曲产生的竖向变形随剪切应变增加而增大较快;对LRB支座,在达到一定剪切应变时,竖向变形量的增加缓慢。     

橡胶座非线性弹性界限特性和屈曲特性理论和试验研究

本文系统地研究分析了橡胶隔震支座(以下简称为橡胶座)的界限特性和屈曲特性,界限特性的研究包括橡胶座的界限压缩、界限拉伸、界限剪切等特性,屈曲特性研究包括橡胶座的屈曲应力与界限剪切应变的相关特性。基于橡胶座的压缩刚度因子和拉伸刚度因子,给出了计算橡胶座界限压缩和界限拉伸应力的实用计算理论,同时提出了屈曲应力和界限剪切应变的评价方法。针对橡胶座的界限特性和屈曲特性理论,采用天然橡胶和铅芯橡胶座原型试件进行了试验研究,结果表明本文提出的界限压缩、界限拉伸、屈曲应力等计算理论和评价方法是偏于安全的。文末汇总了本研究涵盖的橡胶座压缩、拉伸、回转、剪切和界限等相关特性的研究成果,初步形成了建筑用橡胶座的基础理论体系。     

高层隔震建筑设计中隔震支座受拉问题分析

高层建筑由于高宽比相对较大,倾覆效应明显,当采用隔震技术时,有可能使隔震支座出现拉应力,而通常使用的叠层橡胶隔震支座抗拉能力不强。因此,隔震支座受拉问题成为隔震技术在高层建筑中推广应用的主要障碍之一。本文提出了避免隔震支座受拉的上部结构布置原则及隔震层优化设计方法,并对目前隔震支座拉应力计算方法提出了改进建议。本文的研究工作可为工程设计提供借鉴,为隔震设计相关规范的修订提供依据。     

Seismic response of torsionally coupled base isolated structures

An analytical study of the seismic response of typical base isolated structures mounted on rubber bearings is presented. Isolated buildings are liable to have closely spaced lower modes of vibration with small eccentricity between centres of mass and rigidity. The isolated structure is modelled as a rigid deck with lumped masses supported on axially inextensible elastomeric rubber bearings. This simplified system has three degrees of freedom (dof), two translations and one rotation in the horizontal plane. The Green's functions for the displacement response of the 3 dof system are derived for both undamped and damped cases with small and large eccentricities. The small eccentricity case is taken from a specific isolated building, while the large eccentricity case arises from the 5 per cent accidental eccentricity which is required by various seismic codes. An interaction equation for normalized displacements is established for an idealized flat velocity spectrum or hyperbolic acceleration spectrum. An isolated building on rubber bearings would have its fundamental period fall into this range of a design spectrum. Numerical results for the specific building subjected to the El Centro earthquake of 1940 are presented. Both the time history and the response spectrum modal superposition analysis were performed. In the response spectrum analysis, the Complete Quadratic Combination (CQC) showed superiority over the Square Root of the Sum of Squares (SRSS) in estimating maximum responses. It is concluded that the effect of torsional coupling on the transient response of base isolated structures is insignificant, due to the combined effect of the time lag between the maximum translational and torsional responses and the influence of damping in the isolation system which for elastomeric bearings can be as high as 8 to 10 per cent.     

Lateral load performance and seismic demand of unbonded scrap tire rubber pad base isolators

The scrap tire rubber pad(STRP) made by natural or synthetic rubber and high strength reinforcing cords exhibits substantial vertical stiffness and horizontal flexibility, and these properties can be regarded as suitable for seismic isolators for structures. The use of environmentally burdensome scrap tires as STRP isolators might be convenient as an efficient and low-cost solution for the implementation of aseismic design philosophy for low-to-medium rise buildings, especially in developing countries. Finite element analyses of unbonded square and strip-shaped STRP isolators subjected to a combination of axial and lateral loads are conducted to investigate its lateral deformation performance under seismic loading. The rubber of the isolator is modelled with Mooney-Rivlin hyperelastic and Prony viscoelastic materials, including the Mullins material damage effect. The influence of the length-to-width ratio and bearing height on the isolator performance is assessed in terms of the force-displacement relationship, horizontal stiffness, damping, and isolation periods. It is shown that the dependence of stiffness on the length-to-width ratio is significant in the longitudinal direction and minor in the transverse direction. The STRP isolators following the proposed design criteria are shown to satisfy the performance requirement at different levels of seismic demand specified by the ASCE/SEI 7-2010 seismic provisions.     

A comparative study of performances of various base isolation systems,part II: Sensitivity analysis

A series of numerical experiments on the performance of different base isolation systems for a non-uniform shear beam structure is carried out. Several base isolation systems are considered and the peak relative displacements and the maximum absolute accelerations of the base-isolated structure and its base raft under a variety of conditions are evaluated. Several sensitivity analyses for variations in properties of the base isolator and the structure are carried out. A number of different earthquake excitations are also used in the study. The results show that performances of the base isolation systems are not sensitive to small variations in their natural period, damping or friction coefficient. The presence of a frictional element in the isolators reduces their sensitivity to severe variations in frequency content and amplitude of the ground acceleration. In particular, the resilient-friction base isolators with or without sliding upper plate perform reasonably well under a variety of loading conditions. The rubber bearing type, however, leads to the lowest peak transmitted accelerations for moderate intensity earthquakes.