• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.61 no.1
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• pp.31-47
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• 2017

As a relatively new type of multi-layered rubber-based seismic isolators, fiber-reinforced elastomeric isolators (FREIs) are composed of several thin rubber layers reinforced with flexible fiber sheets. Limited analytical studies in literature have pointed out that "warping" (distortion) of reinforcing sheets has significant influence on buckling behavior of FREIs. However, none of these studies, to the best knowledge of authors, has investigated their warping behavior, thoroughly. This study aims to investigate, in detail, the warping behavior of strip-shaped FREIs by deriving advanced analytical solutions without utilizing the commonly used "pressure", incompressibility, inextensibility and the "linear axial displacement variation through the thickness" assumptions. Studies show that the warping behavior of FREIs mainly depends on the (i) aspect ratio (shape factor) of the interior elastomer layers, (ii) Poisson's ratio of the elastomer and (iii) extensibility of the fiber sheets. The basic assumptions of the "pressure" method as well as the commonly used incompressibility assumption are valid only for isolators with relatively large shape factors, strictly incompressible elastomeric material and nearly inextensible fiber reinforcement.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.6 no.6
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• pp.1-6
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• 2002

In order to apply seismic isolators to low-cost buildings, seismic isolators have to be low-cost and light. In this paper fiber reinforced strip form isolator in which the steel plates of conventional rubber bearing were replaced by fiber was proposed. The proposed fiber reinforced strip form isolator was designed, fabricated, cut and subjected to vertical test and horizontal test. Therefore, fiber reinforced strip form isolator was to be shown valid in the view point of fabrication and application to desired size. The horizontal test and vertical test have shown that fiber reinforce strip form isolator could be replaced the rubber isolator. By these results, low-cost and light seismic isolator can be applied to the low-cost building.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.26 no.10
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• pp.2026-2033
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• 2002

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of mechanical properties of the FREI using horizontal stiffness and vertical stiffness by experiments. Two kinds of FREI are designed and fabricated. The steel plates of SREI are replaced with fibers in order to reduce the cost of fabrication and installation. At first, the Nylon fiber is adopted as feasibility study of FREI. The experimental results of Nylon FREI and SREI show that the vertical stiffness of Nylon FREI is lower than SREI, and effective damping is two times higher than SREI. Carbon is adopted, by these rusults, as strong reinforcement than Nylon and full scale of carbon FREI was designed and fabricated. By the experimental test results, it is shown that the vertical stiffness of carbon FREI is three times higher than SREI, and two times higher in effective damping. As a result, the proposed FREI can replace the SREI as a seismic isolator.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.395-410
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• 2014

Fiber Reinforced Elastomeric Bearings (FREBs) are a relatively new type of laminated bearings that can be used as seismic/vibration isolators or bridge bearings. In an unbonded (U)-FREB, the bearing is placed between the top and bottom supports with no bonding or fastening provided at its contact surfaces. Under shear loads the top and bottom faces of a U-FREB roll off the contact supports and the bearing exhibits rollover deformation. As a result of rollover deformation, the horizontal response characteristics of U-FREBs are significantly different than conventional elastomeric bearings that are employed in bonded application. Current literature lacks an efficient analytical horizontal stiffness solution for this type of bearings. This paper presents two simplified analytical models for horizontal stiffness evaluation of U-FREBs. Both models assume that the resistance to shear loads is only provided by an effective region of the bearing that sustains significant shear strains. The presented models are different in the way they relate this effective region to the horizontal bearing displacements. In comparison with experimental results and finite element analyses, the analytical models that are presented in this paper are found to be sufficiently accurate to be used in the preliminary design of U-FREBs.

• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
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• 2002.03a
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• pp.409-416
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• 2002

In order to apply seismic isolators to the low-cost buildings, seismic isolators have to be low-cost and light. In this paper fiber reinforced strip form isolator in which the steel plates of conventional rubber bearing was replaced by fiber was proposed. The proposed fiber reinforced strip form isolator was designed, fabricated, cut and subjected to vertical test and harizontal test. Therefore fiber reinforced strip form isolator was to be shown valid in the view point of fabrication and application to desired size. The harizontal test and vertical test have shown that fiber reinforced strip form isolator could replace the rubber isolator. By these results, low-cost and light seismic isolator can be applied to the low-cost building. These fiber reinforced strip form isolator can be applied to the low-cost building.

• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
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• 2001.09a
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• pp.415-422
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• 2001

In this paper, the experimental study was carried out in order to compare the mechanical characteristics of multi-layer elastomeric isolation hearings where the reinforceing elements steel plates case and fiber-reinforcement case. Fiber-reinforced isolater which has the same dimension as the steel reinforced isolator had shown better efficiency in effective damping than NRB. The compression test has shown the corresponding results with the theoretical vertical stiffness in the case of flexible reinforcement. The fiber-reinforced isolator will be significantly lighter and could lead to a much less labor intensive manufacturing process.