Study of Seismic Isolation in Reinforced Concrete Buildings: Practical Application and Structural Behavior
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65419/albahit.v5i2.141Keywords:
Seismic Base Isolation, Lead Rubber Bearing (LRB), High Damping Rubber Bearing (HDRB), Period Elongation, Structural Resilience, Energy DissipationAbstract
This research examines the concept and practical application of seismic base isolation in reinforced concrete buildings as an effective strategy to reduce earthquake-induced forces. The study highlights how base isolation systems—particularly elastomeric bearings, lead rubber bearings (LRB), and high-damping rubber bearings (HDRB)—function by decoupling the structure from ground motion, increasing the fundamental period of vibration, and reducing seismic acceleration and damage.
The research reviews pioneering experimental work conducted at the Earthquake Engineering Research Center (EERC) at UC Berkeley, where isolation bearings demonstrated up to tenfold reductions in structural acceleration. It also documents successful real-world applications in the United States, Japan, New Zealand, and other seismic regions, showing superior performance of isolated buildings during major earthquakes such as the 1994 Northridge and 1995 Kobe earthquakes.
The study provides detailed technical insights into the mechanical behavior, load capacity, durability, damping mechanisms, and structural response of various isolator types. It concludes that seismic isolation significantly enhances building safety, preserves structural integrity, protects internal contents, and ensures post-earthquake operability, making it an economical and reliable solution for critical and essential facilities.
References
1- Sharifi, Arman, 2011, A comparative study on LRB and HDRB base isolators performances for steel structures, MSc dis- sertation. Department of Civil Engineering, Islamic Azad University, Tehran branch, Iran
2- Ghafooripour,Amin, Khashayar B.,2008, Introduction to Pas- sive control devices, Rah-Sakhteman Journal, 7:(65):,2-8
3- Kyu-Sik Park, Hyung-Jo Jung, In-Won Lee,2002, A compara- tive study on aseismic performances of base isolation sys-tems for multi-span continuous bridge, Elsevier, Engineer-ing Structures ,24, 1001-1013
4- Kelly JM. 1986, Aseismic base isolation: review and biblio- graphy. Soil Dynamics Earthquake Eng;5(3):202–16.
5- Su L, Ahmadi G, Tadjbakhsh IG., 1989, A comparative study of performances of various base isolation systems, part I:shear beam structures. Earthquake Eng Struct Dynam-ics;18:11–32.
6- Su L, Ahmadi G, Tadjbakhsh IG. 1990, A comparative study of performances of various base isolation systems, Part II:Sensitivity analysis., Earthquake Eng Struct Dynam- ics;19:21–33.
7- Kyu-Sik Park, Hyung-Jo Jung, In-Won Lee, A comparative study on aseismic performances of base isolation systems for multi-span continuous bridge, Engineering Elsevier, Structures,Feb. 2002, 1001-1013
8- Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA 365, 1996, Chapter 9, “Seismic isolation and energy dissipation",Washington, DC
9- C. P. Providakis., 2008, “Pushover analysis of base-isolated steel_concrete composite structures under near-fault exci-tations” Department of Applied Sciences, Technical Uni-versity of Crete, Chania
10- Petros. K., 2008, “Simulation Of The Earthquake-induced Pounding Of Seismically Isolated[ Buildings”, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Cy- prus, Nicosia, Cyprus
11- K. Goda., C.S. Lee., H.P. Hong., 2010, “Lifecycle Cost-benefit analysis of isolation buildings”, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Western Ontario, Canada N6A 5B9
12- Shakeel. A., Farrukh. G., Md. Raghib. A., 2009, “Seismic fric- tion base isolation performance using demolished waste in masonry housing”, Department of Civil Engineering, Ali-garh Muslim University, India
13- Di Egidio A, Contento A (2010). Seismic response of a non-symmetric rigid block on a constrained oscillating base. Eng. Struct., 32: 3028-3039.
14- Physical and Mechanical Properties of Expanded Polystyrene Lightweight Aggregate Concrete. (2020). Albahit Journal of Applied Sciences, 1(1), 25-30. https://albahitjas.com.ly/index.php/albahit/article/view/6
