Experimental Study on Effectiveness of a Prototype Seismic Isolation System Made of Polymeric Bearings

Seismic isolation is identified as one of the most popular and effective methods of protecting structures under strong dynamic excitations. Base isolators, such as Lead Rubber Bearings, High Damping Rubber Bearings, and Friction Pendulum Bearings, are widely used in practice in many earthquake-prone regions of the world to mitigate structural vibrations, and therefore minimize loss of life and property damage during seismic events. The present paper reports the results of the comprehensive experimental investigation designed to verify the effectiveness of a prototype base isolation system made of Polymeric Bearings in reducing structural vibrations. In order to construct seismic bearings considered in this study, a specially prepared polymeric material with improved damping properties was used. The dynamic behaviour of a single-storey and two-storey experimental model, both fixed-base and base-isolated, under a number of different ground motions, was extensively studied. The reduction in lateral response was measured by comparing the peak accelerations recorded at the top of the analyzed model structures with and without a base isolation system. The results of this research clearly demonstrate that the application of the prototype Polymeric Bearings leads to significant improvement in seismic response by reducing the lateral acceleration.