A New Approach to Rolling-Based Seismic Isolators for Light- To Moderate Structures

Abstract eng:
Based on the concept of reducing seismic demand rather than increasing the earthquake resistant capacity of structures, the use of base isolation has already been recognized as a very effective method to mitigate or reduce earthquake damage potential. Most of the current seismic isolators still have significant up to serious problems which impose restrictions to its proper use and the provided protection level especially for light- to moderate structures. In this study, an advanced rolling-based seismic isolator is proposed for such structures. This isolator is patented and incorporates isolation, energy dissipation, buffer and restoring force mechanisms in a single unit. Furthermore, the proposed isolator offers a significant wind resistance, relatively controllable bearing area, and a great range of horizontal flexibility. Moreover, issues related to construction costs, preventing structural torsion and uplift were thoroughly addressed. In this paper, the mathematical modeling of the proposed isolator as well as parameter identification and model validation is studied. Then, the proposed isolator is investigated via numerical simulation to examine its efficiency and performance level for light-moderate mass building structures excited by different actual ground motion records. The simulation results reveal that the proposed isolator device can isolate seismic transmitted energy effectively under different ground motion excitations while exhibiting robust performance for a wide range of structures.

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