A New Generation of High Damping Natural Rubber Bearings: Material Development, Testing and Applications

Abstract eng:
This paper reports on the research and development activities carried out for the development of a new material, based on natural rubber, specially formulated to give a hysteresis damping of minimum 22% at design shear strain. The use of the high damping rubber compound developed avoids the need for lead plug to be inserted in the bearing and the need for auxiliary dampers such as viscous or elasto-plastic steel dampers in the isolation system. Material development and experimental activities, including qualification tests on full scale isolators, are presented. The influence of such factors as temperature, aging and horizontal deformation amplitude upon the stiffness and damping are discussed. Evidence for the long term stability of the properties of the newly designed bearings is given. The paper also gives examples of the application of the innovative super high damping rubber bearing (S-HDRB) to base isolation in Indonesia by referring in particular to application to health care facility and commercial tower projects recently completed in high seismicity areas.

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