Experimental and analytical study of a new seismic isolation device under a column

Low-cost techniques with seismic isolation performance and excellent resilience need to be explored in the case of rural low-rise buildings because of the limited buying power of rural residents. As an inexpensive and eco-friendly isolation bearing, scrap tire pads (STPs) have the issue of poor resilience. Thus, a seismic isolation system under a column (SISC) integrated with STP needs to be designed for the seismic protection of low-rise rural buildings. The SISC, which is based on a simple exterior design, maintains excellent seismic performance, while the mechanical behavior of the internal STP provides elastic resilience. The horizontal behaviors of the SISC are studied through load tests, and its mechanical properties and the intrinsic mechanism of the reset ability are discussed. Results indicate that the average residual displacement ratio was 24.59%, and the reset capability was enhanced. Comparative experimental and finite element analysis results also show that the loaddisplacement relationship of the SISC was essentially consistent. The dynamic characteristics of isolated and fixed-base buildings were compared by numerical assessment of the response control effects, and the SISC was found to have great seismic isolation performance. SISC can be used as a low-cost base isolation device for rural buildings in developing countries.