An experimental study on the buckling stability of laminated rubber bearings under large lateral deformation

Abstract

This paper reports the scheme of a research project landed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) from the fiscal year of 2012 to 2014 under the title of "Development of base isolation device complied with the ultimate strength design code." The theoretical prediction tells us a new approach to develop a highly stable laminated rubber bearing that has a constant buckling load even under large lateral displacement. Relatively high shear stiffness makes it more stable and the height of the bearing should be larger than its diameter. They are the newly discovered theoretical buckling stability criteria from the previous study that was conducted by the author's research team. The experimental study in this project shows the compatibility with the theoretical prediction and the highly linear load-displacement relationship under large deformation. The performance of the newly developed device satisfies the requirement of the ultimate strength design code, if the ground condition of the target building is normally solid enough to prevent liquefaction. The theoretically predicted buckling stability of the laminated rubber bearings has been actually verified by the specimens of this project.