Nonlinear vibration characteristics of fatigue damaged reinforced concrete structures

In this paper, nonlinear vibration techniques were applied to investigate stages of progressive damage in three vibration isolation systems induced by dynamic loadings. Analytical models for reinforced concrete structures of three isolation systems were developed based on FEM with discrete crack concept. Vibration response spectra and the spectra of forces transmitted through the isolators were computed with respect to stationary dynamic loads. In addition, fatigue properties of concrete structures were examined for given materials' properties and given geometries. The results indicated that the proposed isolation system 3 can improve fatigue resistance by extending fatigue life and changing the failure mode from shear to flexure.