| Title | Verification Testing of Prototype Bearings for a Base Isolated Building |
| Authors | Kelly, James M.; Celebi, Mehmet |
| Publication | Structural Engineering and structural Mechanics Report No. UCB/SESM-84/01, March 1984 |
| Objectives | To determine the mechanical properties of four prototype natural rubber bearings designed for the first building to be built in the United States using the principles of base isolation. |
| Abstract | This report describes a series of tests carried out to verify the performance of prototype natural rubber bearings designed for the first building in the United States built incorporating base isolation. The cylindrical base isolation bearings consist of layers of natural rubber and thin steel plates. The tests demonstrated that the bearings were able to sustain large lateral cyclic displacements without distress. Effective vertical and lateral stiffnesses of the bearings were determined. Equivalent viscous damping ratios were calculated from the hysteretic plots. The displacement demand on the bearings was predicted on the basis of dynamic analysis. In this analysis it was assumed that the building with the bearings would perform elastically under a maximum credible earthquake of 8.3 magnitude on the Richter scale and the fact that the San Andreas fault is in close proximity to the site of the building under construction was considered. |
