Seismic response control of large-span suspend-dome structures using multidimensional isolation systems

Three isolation strategies have been developed for seismic response control of suspend-domes: bidirectional isolation, bidirectional isolation with additional restrainers, and three-dimensional (3D) isolation. The first and second control strategies use pendulum sliding isolation bearings (PSIBs) and shape memory alloy (SMA)restrained PSIBs (SPSIBs), respectively, as high-position bearings to support the roof of a structure. The third strategy uses of prepressed spring bearings with additional dampers and SPSIBs with slack SMA strands to form a vertical isolation layer at the roof support and a horizontal isolation layer at the base of the substructure. This paper describes the configurations, working mechanisms, and numerical simulations of these isolation systems in detail and presents their parameter design based on the related design objectives of a prototype suspend-dome structure. In this study, an extensive numerical modeling investigation was performed on isolated and non- isolated suspend-domes to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of the seismic control systems. The results showed that the segmental 3D isolation system provides superior seismic protection performance for the target suspend-dome compared with the bidirectional isolation systems, although the former involves a complex design, modeling, and construction.