Experimental and numerical investigation of wire rope devices in base isolation systems

Andrea Calabrese, Mariacristina Spizzuoco, Daniele Losanno and Arman Barjani

Abstract

The scope of this study is the comparison between experimental results of tests performed on a base isolated building using helical wire rope isolators (WRs), and results of Nonlinear Response History Analyses (NRHAs) performed using SAP 2000, a commercial software for structural analysis. In the first stage of this research, WRs have been tested under shear deformation beyond their linear range of deformation, and analytical models have been derived to describe the nonlinear response of the bearings under different directions of loading. On the following stage, shaking table tests have been carried out on a 1/3 scale steel model isolated at the base by means of curved surface sliders (CSS) and WRs. The response of the structure under ground motion excitation has been compared to that obtained using numerical analyses in SAP 2000. The feasibility of modelling the nonlinear behavior of the tested isolation layer using multilinear link elements embedded in SAP 2000 is discussed in this paper, together with the advantages of using WRs as supplemental devices for CSSs base isolated structures

Key Words

seismic base isolation; wire rope isolators; shaking table tests; building structure

Address

Andrea Calabrese: Dept. of Civil Engineering & Construction Engineering Management, California State Univ. Long Beach, Long Beach, CA, USA Mariacristina Spizzuoco:Department of Structures for Engineering and Architecture, University of Naples Federico II, Via Claudio 21, Naples, Italy Daniele Losanno: Department of Structures for Engineering and Architecture, University of Naples Federico II, Via Claudio 21, Naples, Italy Arman Barjani: Dept. of Civil Engineering & Construction Engineering Management, California State Univ. Long Beach, Long Beach, CA, USA

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