Shaking Table Test of a Friction Sliding System on a Concrete Member with Variable Curvature Fabricated by a Three-dimensional Printer

Bridge structures play a crucial role in the recovery process after an earthquake; however, the need to produce a resilient structure requires the implementation of expensive materials that are essentially limited to critical structures. To achieve a low-cost resilient system, a novel friction pendulum sliding system fabricated from only steel and concrete was experimentally evaluated. Simple concave shapes mounted transverse to one other; and spherical shapes with variable curvatures fabricated by a three-dimensional printer were evaluated. Bidirectional shaking table tests were conducted with different acceleration intensities, and the input acceleration was reduced by 50% during sliding. The spherical shapes exhibited stable hysteresis responses even when subjected to strong ground motions. The proposed friction pendulum sliding system for bridge structures provides a low-cost design solution that can ensure post-event operability.