| Title | Mechanical Characteristics of Neoprene Isolation Bearings |
| Authors | Kelly, James M.; Quiroz, Edgardo |
| Publication | Earthquake Engineering Research Center Report No. UCB/EERC-92/11, August 1992 |
| Objectives | To evaluate the mechanical characteristics of polychloroprene rubber (Neoprene) bearings under dynamic loading and to determine their maximum shear capacity and failure mechanism. |
| Abstract | The concept of base isolation is now well accepted and the number of buildings using this earthquake-resistant technique is rapidly increasing. It is now generally accepted that a base-isolated building will perform better than a conventional fixed-base building in moderate to strong earthquakes. The purpose of this report is to evaluate the mechanical characteristics of polychloroprene rubber (Neoprene) bearings under dynamic loading and to determine their maximum shear capacity and failure mechanism. It will be demonstrated that with properly designed and manufactured isolators, it is possible to ensure that the isolation system does not fail before the structure above it fails. Thus, although the failure of the base-isolated structure will be the failure of the frame (as in a conventional structure), the input level of earthquake motion that is needed to produce this failure will be very much larger than that required to fail this same structural frame if it were conventionally based. |
