Static and dynamic stability analysis of a steel-rubber isolator with rubber cores

Rohola Rahnavard, Helder D. Craveiro, Rebecca Napolitano

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

30 Scopus citations

Abstract

Stability is one of the most important parameters to evaluate seismic base isolators. Previous research has illustrated the power of base isolators with single and multiple rubber cores. While that work provided a critical introduction to this innovative idea, the lateral stability of seismic steel-rubber base isolators with single and multiple rubber cores was not evaluated; thus it is the topic of the current work. The finite element method is used for modeling of the elastomeric bearing. Three methods, including reduced area formula, quasi-static, and dynamic analysis, were used. The Ogden method is used for modeling rubber material properties. The effect of the size and number of rubber cores on the stability of elastomeric bearing is also investigated. The obtained results show that the use of single and multiple rubber cores increases isolator stability due to the large critical vertical loads. Also, the results of quasi-static methods and dynamic analysis for single rubber core isolators showed that increasing the core diameter has a slight effect on stability. A comparison of the results from the quasi-static and dynamic analysis shows a good agreement, confirming that the simpler quasi-static method is effective to numerically measure the stability limit of steel-rubber base isolators.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)441-455
Number of pages15
JournalStructures
Volume26
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2020

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Civil and Structural Engineering
  • Architecture
  • Building and Construction
  • Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Static and dynamic stability analysis of a steel-rubber isolator with rubber cores'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this