Vertical stiffness of elastomeric and lead-rubber seismic isolation bearings

An experimental study investigating the influence of lateral displacement on the vertical stiffness of elastomeric and lead-rubber seismic isolation bearings is summarized. Two identically constructed low-damping rubber and lead-rubber seismic isolation bearings were subjected to a series of tests with varying levels of combined lateral displacement and axial (compressive) loading to study this relationship. The results of these tests showed the vertical stiffness decreases with increasing lateral displacement for each bearing tested. Additionally, the vertical stiffness data are used to evaluate four formulations for the estimation of the vertical stiffness as a function of the lateral displacement. From this comparison, two formulations, one based on the Koh-Kelly two-spring model and the other on a piecewise linear relationship, showed good agreement with the experimental data over the wide range of lateral displacements considered in this study.