Experimental and Theoretical Studies of Bidirectional Variable Curvature Friction Pendulum Bearing

In this study, to satisfy the base isolation demand of large-scale building structures under different earthquake records, a new bidirectional variable curvature friction pendulum bearing (BD-VCFPB) is proposed. The VCFPB is designed in detail based on the basic principle of a friction pendulum system. Moreover, the sliding interface function, gap between the slider and the sliding interface, and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) plate stress are studied. Finally, a dynamic cyclic test is conducted to study the influence of the slider size, contact pressure on the PTFE plate, and loading frequency on the hysteretic behavior of the VCFPB. The results indicate that the hysteretic curves of the horizontal force and the displacement are regular, symmetrical, stable, and full, and clearly reflect the variable curvature convex and concave characteristics and the excellent behavior of energy dissipation of the BD-VCFPB. The sliding friction coefficient varies significantly with the contact pressure on the PTFE plate and the loading frequency; however, it has little relation with the slider size. A hysteretic model is proposed based on the results of a unidirectional test, and it is in good agreement with the hysteretic curves of the horizontal force and the displacement from a bidirectional test.