• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.85-93
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• 1993

Base isolation systems are economic and efficient for the control of structural vibration. In this study, the base isolators of LRB(laminated rubber bearing) type which have been generally used are fabricated and tested. From the static and dynamic tests, the characteristics of the base isolators, considering strain-hardening, hysteretic damping and horizontal stiffnesses, etc., are verified and particularly the feasibility as base isolation devices is discussed. Consequently, the test results are compared with the analytical ones that are derived from idealization as a bilinear model.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.689-707
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• 2008

This study presents a method to evaluate the seismic risk of an extradosed bridge with seismic isolators of lead rubber bearings (LRBs), and also to show the effectiveness of the LRB isolators on the extradosed bridge, which is one of the relatively flexible and lightly damped structures in terms of seismic risk. Initially, the seismic vulnerability of a structure is evaluated, and then the seismic hazard of a specific site is rated using an earthquake data set and seismic hazard maps in Korea. Then, the seismic risk of the structure is assessed. The nonlinear seismic analyses are carried out to consider plastic deformation of bridge columns and the nonlinear characteristics of soil foundation. To describe the nonlinear behaviour of a column, the ductility demand is adopted, and the moment-curvature relation of a column is assumed to be bilinear hysteretic. The fragility curves are represented as a log-normal distribution function for column damage, movement of superstructure, and cable yielding. And the seismic hazard at a specific site is estimated using the available seismic hazard maps. The results show that in seismically-isolated extradosed bridges under earthquakes, the effectiveness of the isolators is much more noticeable in the columns than the cables and girders.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.133-143
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• 2015

It is very important to assure the seismic performance of equipment as well as building structures in seismic design of nuclear power plant(NPP). Seismically isolated structures may be reviewed mainly on the horizontal seismic responses. Considering the equipment installed in the NPP, the vertical earthquake responses of the structure also should be reviewed. This study has investigated the vertical seismic demand of seismically isolated structure by lead rubber bearings(LRBs). For the numerical evaluation of seismic demand of the base isolated NPP, the Korean standard nuclear power plant (APR1400) is modeled as 4 different models, which are supported by LRBs to have 4 different horizontal target periods. Two real earthquake records and artificially generated input motions have been used as inputs for earthquake analyses. For the study, the vertical floor response spectra(FRS) were generated at the major points of the structure. As a results, the vertical seismic responses of horizontally isolated structure have largely increased due to flexibility of elastomeric isolator. The vertical stiffness of the bearings are more carefully considered in the seismic design of the base-isolated NPPs which have the various equipment inside.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.353-363
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• 2017

The present study considers a multi-span continuous bridge, isolated by lead rubber bearing (LRB). Dynamic soilstructure interaction (SSI) is modelled with the help of a simplified, sway-rocking model for different types of soil. It is well understood from the literature that SSI influences the structural responses and the isolator performance. However, the abovementioned effect of SSI also depends on the earthquake ground motion properties. It is very important to understand how the interaction between soil and structure varies with the earthquake ground motion characteristics but, as far as the knowledge of the authors go, no study has been carried out to investigate this effect. Therefore, the objectives of the present study are to investigate the influence of earthquake ground motion characteristics on: (a) the responses of a multi span bridge (isolated and non-isolated), (b) the performance of the isolator and, most importantly, (c) the soil-structure interaction. Statistical analyses are conducted by considering 14 earthquakes which are selected in such a way that they can be categorized into three frequency content groups according to their peak ground acceleration to peak ground velocity (PGA/PGV) ratio. Lumped mass model of the bridge is developed and time history analyses are carried out by solving the governing equations of motion in the state space form. The performance of the isolator is studied by comparing the responses of the bridge with those of the corresponding uncontrolled bridge (i.e., non-isolated bridge). On studying the effect of earthquake motions, it is observed that the earthquake ground motion characteristics affect the interaction between soil and structure in such a way that the responses decrease with increase in frequency content of the earthquake for all the types of soil considered. The reverse phenomenon is observed in case of the isolator performance where the control efficiencies increase with frequency content of earthquake.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.179-191
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• 2002

This paper presents a systematic approach to the seismic nonlinear analysis and retrofit strategies for existing bridges with isolation system using retrofit slate function newly proposed in this study. A seismic retrofit scheme using sliding base isolation system was presented to reduce the seismic hazard for bridge structures. In this study, two types of isolation systems such as lead bearings and sliding isolators were used. The behavior of sliding isolators was modeled by a triaxial interaction model. And three types of earthquakes such as El Centro, San Fernando, and the artificial were used as earthquake ground excitations. Seismic response analyses of the bridge before and after retrofit were effectively carried out by using a three-dimensional nonlinear seismic analysis program, IDARC-Bridge. Also, this paper proposes a retrofit state function for easily representing the efficiency of a retrofit scheme.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.701-721
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• 2016

Base isolation is a well-established passive strategy for seismic response control of buildings. In this paper, an efficient framework is proposed for reliability-based design optimization (RBDO) of isolated buildings subjected to uncertain earthquakes. The framework uses reduced function evaluations method, as an efficient tool for structural reliability analysis, and an efficient optimization algorithm for optimal structural design. The probability of failure is calculated considering excessive base displacement, superstructure inter-storey drifts, member stress ratios and absolute accelerations of floors of the isolated building as failure events. The behavior of rubber bearing isolators is modeled using nonlinear hysteretic model and the variability of future earthquakes is modeled by applying a probabilistic approach. The effects of pulse component of stochastic near-fault ground motions, fixity-factor of semi-rigid beam-to-column connections, values of isolator parameters, earthquake magnitude and epicentral distance on the performance and safety of semi-rigidly connected base-isolated steel framed buildings are studied. Suitable RBDO examples are solved to illustrate the results of investigations.

• Computational Structural Engineering
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.67-74
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• 1995

This study develops 2-D analysis method of a base-isolated pool structure, and verifies the method through shaking table test using a scaled model. A wall of the pool structure is modeled as lumped mass, and added mass of the fluid is imposed on the nodes of the structure to consider the hydrodynamic effect of contained fluid. The equation of motion of base-isolated pool structure is obtained by coupling of two equations for superstructure composed of wall and fluid, and for bottom slab and isolator. The scaled model for shaking table test is made with transparent acryle, and 4-high damping laminated rubber bearings are used. The responses of the scaled model by the test are generally good agreement with those by the analysis. It is shown that 2-D analysis method gives somewhat conservative results.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.26 no.1A
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• pp.155-162
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• 2006

This study presents the seismic risk assesment for an extradosed bridge with seismic isolators of lead rubber bearings(LRB). First, the seismic vulnerability of a structure and then the seismic hazard of the site are evaluated using earthquake data set and seismic hazard map in Korea, and then the seismic risk of the structure is assessed. The nonlinear seismic analyses are carried out to consider plastic hinges of bridge columns and nonlinear characteristics of soil foundation. The ductility demand is adopted to describe the nonlinear behavior of a column, and the moment-curvature curve of a column is assumed to be bilinear hysterestic. The fragility curves are represented as a log-normal distribution function for column damage, movement of superstructure, and cable yielding. And seismic hazard is estimated using the available seismic hazard maps. The results show that the effectiveness of the seismic isolators for the columns is more noticeable than those for cables and girders, in seismic isolated extradosed bridges under earthquakes.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.385-392
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• 2014

The isolators have been generally used to reduce a seismic force. If the isolators apply to the nuclear power plants(NPPs), the durability and capacity for the structures and equipments should be ensured during the life time. In this study, the long-term behavior of isolated NPPs was analyzed for ensuring the seismic safety. The properties of isolator due to the age-related degradation were analyzed. And the seismic behavior of isolated buildings was analyzed by considering the aging of rubber bearings in different temperature environments. According to the analysis results, the natural frequency of structures was increased with time. But the maximum acceleration and maximum displacement of isolated structures have not changed significantly. Although the damaged of structure did not occurred by aging of isolators, it was presented that the spectral acceleration at the target frequency of isolated structure increased with the temperature. Therefore the isolators in the isolated buildings should be carefully designed and manufactured considering the temperature-dependancy of rubber material.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.495-504
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• 2018

The possibility of earthquakes in vulnerable regions indicates that efficient technique is required for seismic protection of buildings. During the recent decades, the concept is moving towards the insertion of base isolation on seismic prone buildings. So, investigation of structural behavior is a burning topic for buildings to be isolated in base level by bearing device. This study deals with the incorporation of base isolation system and focuses the changes of structural responses for different types of Lead Rubber Bearing (LRB) isolators. A number of sixteen model buildings have been simulated selecting twelve types of bearing systems as well as conventional fixed-base (FB) scheme. The superstructures of the high-rise buildings are represented by finite element assemblage adopting multi-degree of freedoms. Static and dynamic analyses are carried out for FB and base isolated (BI) buildings. The dynamic analysis in finite element package has been performed by the nonlinear time history analysis (THA) based on the site-specific seismic excitation and compared employing eminent earthquakes. The influence of the model type and the alteration in superstructure behavior of the isolated buildings have been duly assessed. The results of the 3D multistory structures show that the lateral forces, displacement, inertia and story accelerations of the superstructure of the seismic prone buildings are significantly reduced due to bearing insertion. The nonlinear dynamic analysis shows 12 to 40% lessening in base shear when LRB is incorporated leading to substantial allowance of horizontal displacement. It is revealed that the LRB isolators might be potential options to diminish the respective floor accelerations, inertia, displacements and base shear whatever the condition coincides. The isolators with lower force intercept but higher isolation period is found to be better for decreasing base shear, floor acceleration and inertia force leading to reduction of structural and non-structural damage. However, LRB with lower isolator period seems to be more effective in dropping displacement at bearing interface aimed at reducing horizontal shift of building structure.