Seismic performance of cable-sliding friction bearing system for isolated bridges

During past strong earthquakes, highway bridges have sustained severe damage or even collapse due to excessive displacements and/or very large lateral forces. For commonly used isolation bearings with a pure friction sliding surface, seismic forces may be reduced but displacements are often unconstrained. In this paper, an alternative seismic bearing system, called the cable-sliding friction bearing system, is developed by integrating seismic isolation devices with displacement restrainers consisting of cables attached to the upper and lower plates of the bearing. Restoring forces are provided to limit the displacements of the sliding component. Design parameters including the length and stiffness of the cables, friction coefficient, strength of the shear bolt in a fixed-type bearing, and movements under earthquake excitations are discussed. Laboratory testing of a prototype bearing subjected to vertical loads and quasi-static cyclic lateral loads, and corresponding numerical finite element simulation analysis, were carried out. It is shown that the numerical simulation shows good agreement with the experimental force-displacement hysteretic response, indicating the viability of the new bearing system. In addition, practical application of this bearing system to a multi-span bridge in China and its design advantages are discussed.

Effects of vertical excitation on the seismic performance of a seismically isolated bridge with sliding friction bearings

A finite element model is constructed for a sliding friction bearing in a seismically isolated bridge under vertical excitation with contact/friction elements. The effects of vertical excitation on the seismic performance of a seismically isolated bridge with sliding friction bearings and different bearing friction coefficients and different stiffness levels （pier diameter） are discussed using example calculations, and the effects of excitation direction for vertical excitation on the analysis results are explored. The analysis results shows that vertical excitation has a relatively large impact on seismic performance for a seismically isolated bridge with sliding friction bearings, which should be considered when designing a seismically isolated bridge with sliding friction bearings where vertical excitation dominates.

Nonlinear analysis of r.c. framed buildings retrofitted with elastomeric and friction bearings under near-fault earthquakes

Reinforced concrete （r.c.） framed buildings designed in compliance with inadequate seismic classifi- cations and code provisions present in many cases a high vulnerability and need to be retrofitted. To this end, the insertion of a base isolation system allows a considerable reduction of the seismic loads transmitted to the super- structure. However, strong near-fault ground motions, which are characterised by long-duration horizontal pulses, may amplify the inelastic response of the superstructure and induce a failure of the isolation system. The above considerations point out the importance of checking the effectiveness of different isolation systems for retrofitting a r.c. framed structure. For this purpose, a numerical inves- tigation is carried out with reference to a six-storey r.c. framed building, which, primarily designed （as to be a fixed-base one） in compliance with the previous Italian code （DM96） for a medium-risk seismic zone, has to be retrofitted by insertion of an isolation system at the base for attaining performance levels imposed by the current Italian code （NTC08） in a high-risk seismic zone. Besides the （fixed-base） original structure, three cases of base isolation are studied： elastomeric bearings acting alone （e.g. HDLRBs）; in-parallel combination of elastomeric and friction bearings （e.g. high-damping-laminated-rubber beatings, HDLRBs and steel-PTFE sliding bearings, SBs）; friction bearings acting alone （e.g. friction pendulum bearings, FPBs）. The nonlinear analysis of the fixed-base and base-isolated structures subjected to horizontal com- ponents of near-fault ground motions is performed for checking plastic conditions at the potential critical （end） sections of the girders and columns as well as critical conditions of the isolation systems. Unexpected high val- ues of ductility demand are highlighted at the lower floors of all base-isolated structures, while re-centring problems of the base isolation systems under near-fault earthquakes are expected in case of friction beatings acting alone （i.e. FPBs） or that in combination （i.e. SBs） with HDLRBs.

Seismic response of selective pallet racks isolated with friction pendulum bearing system

The concept of base isolation for storage racks is still a developing subject and has not been addressed in the recently updated seismic codes for storage racks.The friction pendulum bearing system(FPS)generates a natural period independent of the structure's seismic mass.This property makes FPS an ideal choice for isolating rack structures since merchandise may be placed on the racks in several possible arrangements.The results of a comprehensive parametric study aimed at evaluating the seismic performance of a four-shelf,two-bay selective pallet rack isolated with FPS is presented in this paper.The influence of radius of curvature of the FPS,seismic mass,and mass irregularity on the rack's seismic response is examined.The effect of variation of the coefficient of friction due to axial loading is studied by choosing friction values from two distinct friction characterization studies.The coefficient of friction calculated from these studies shows mild and significant variations,respectively,for the whole range of static axial loads expected on the isolator,and from different pallet mass arrangements considered.The optimum radius of curvature and the appropriate range of friction coefficient,for the defined range of static axial loads,to attain a desirable seismic performance are determined.

Investigation on MoS_2 and Graphite Coatings and Their Effects on the Tribological Properties of the Radial Spherical Plain Bearings

With constant enlargement of the application areas of the spherical plain bearings,higher quality lubrication of the bearings is required.To solve the lubricating problems of spherical plain bearings under high temperature,high vacuum,high speed,heavy loads and strong oxidation conditions,it is urgent for us to develop more excellent self-lubricating technologies.In this paper,the bonded solid lubricant coatings,which use inorganic phosphate as the binder,the mixture of MoS2 and graphite with two different weight proportions as the solid lubricant,are prepared by spraying under three different spray gun pressures.The bonding strength tests on the coatings show that the best spraying pressure is 0.2 MPa and the better mixing proportion of MoS2 to Graphite is 3：1.Then for the radial spherical plain bearings with steel/steel friction pair,after the coatings are made on the inner ring outer surfaces,the friction coefficient,the wear loss and the friction temperature of the bearings under four oscillating frequencies are investigated by a self-made tribo-tester.The test results,SEM of the worn morphologies and EDS of worn areas show that tribological properties of the bearing are obviously improved by the bonded solid lubricant coatings.When sprayed under the spray gun pressure of 0.2 MPa,the bearings have better anti-friction and anti-wear properties than those sprayed under 0.1 MPa and 0.3 MPa.Further as proved from the XPS analysis,between the coating with 3：1 mixing ratio of MoS2 to Graphite and the coating with 1：1 ratio,the former has less oxidation occurred on the surface and therefore has better tribological characteristics than the latter.This paper provides a reference to developing a new product of the radial spherical plain bearings with high bonding strength,oxidation resistance and abrasion resistance.

Rapid report of seismic damage to hospitals in the 2023 Turkey earthquake sequences

The seismic performance of medical systems is crucial for the seismic resilience of communities.The report summarizes the observed damage to twelve hospital buildings in the area affected by the MW 7.8 and MW 7.5 earthquakes on February 6,2023 in Turkey.They include five base-isolated buildings and seven fixed-base buildings in southcentral Turkey's seven most heavily affected provinces.By relating the post-quake occupancy statuses of the hospitals with the estimated seismic demands during the earthquake doublet,the report offers the following observations:(1)the base-isolated hospital buildings on friction pendulum bearings generally exhibited superior performance of achieving the goal of immediate occupancy and provided better protection for nonstructural elements than fixed-base counterparts did;(2)the fixed-base hospital buildings of reinforced concrete structures constructed after 2001 successfully achieved the goal of collapse prevention even under very high seismic demands;(3)some fixed-base hospitals also remained operational even if they were very close to the fault rupture and were subjected to higher-than-design-level earthquake ground motions.

Friction moment analysis of space gyroscope bearing with ribbon cage under ultra-low oscillatory motion

This paper presents the model of calculating the total friction moment of space gyroscope ball bearings which usually work under ultra-low oscillatory motion and are very sensitive to the friction moment. The aim is to know the proportion of the friction moment caused by each frictional source in the bearing＇s total friction moment, which is helpful to optimize the bearing design to deduce the friction moment. In the model, the cage dynamic equations considering six degree-of-freedom and the balls dynamic equations considering two degree-of-freedom were solved.The good trends with different loads between the measured friction moments and computational results prove that the model under constant rate was validated. The computational results show that when the speed was set at 5 r/min, the bearing＇s maximum total friction moment when oscillation occurred was obviously larger than that occurred at a constant rate. At the onset of each oscillatory motion, the proportion of the friction moment caused by cage in the bearing＇s total friction moment was very high, and it increased with the increasing speed. The analyses of different cage thicknesses and different clearances between cage pocket and ball show that smaller thickness and clearance were preferred.

Seismic performance evaluation of VCFPB isolated storage tank using real-time hybrid simulation

Variable curvature friction pendulum bearings(VCFPB)effectively reduce the dynamic response of storage tanks induced by earthquakes.Shaking table testing is used to assess the seismic performance of VCFPB isolated storage tanks.However,the vertical pressure and friction coefficient of the scaled VCFPB in the shaking table tests cannot match the equivalent values of these parameters in the prototype.To avoid this drawback,a real-time hybrid simulation(RTHS)test was developed.Using RTHS testing,a 1/8 scaled tank isolated by VCFPB was tested.The experimental results showed that the displacement dynamic magnification factor of VCFPB,peak reduction factors of the acceleration,shear force,and overturning moment at bottom of the tank,were negative exponential functions of the ratio of peak ground acceleration(PGA)and friction coefficient.The peak reduction factors of displacement,acceleration,force and overturning moment,which were obtained from the experimental results,are compared with those calculated by the Housner model.It can be concluded that the Housner model is applicable in estimation of the acceleration,shear force,and overturning moment of liquid storage tank,but not for the sliding displacement of VCFPBs.

Study of the mechanics of progressive collapse of FPB isolated beam-pier substructures

The horizontal stiffness of the isolated layer is reduced substantially by a friction pendulum bearing(FPB)toprotectthe structure from potential damages caused by earthquakes.However,horizontal stiffness is essential to progressive collapse resistance of structures.This paper presents a simplified model to assess the progressive collapse response of beam-pier substructure isolated by FPB.Progressive collapse resistance by flexural action of the beam and additional resistance owing to the horizontal restraining force was achieved.The influences of the equivalent radius and friction coefficient of the FPB,the applied axial force on the FPB,and span-depth ratio of the beam on the additional resistance were investigated.Simulations were conducted to verify the proposed model.The results show that progressive collapse resistance provided by horizontal restraining can be reduced as large as 46%and 88%during compressive arching action(CAA)and catenary action(CA),respectively.The equivalent radius of the FPB shows limited effect on the progressive collapse response of FPB isolated structures,but friction coefficient and applied axial force,as well as depth ratio of the beam,show significant influences on the additional progressive collapse resistance capacity.Finite element method(FEM)results are in good agreement with the result obtained by the proposed method.