Anti-Seismic Rubber Bearing
An anti-seismic rubber bearing is a crucial device in the seismic design of buildings and bridges, playing a significant role in enhancing the seismic capacity of structures. Here is an introduction to it:
Types
- Natural Rubber Bearing (NRB): Composed of multiple layers of natural rubber and steel plates, it has good elasticity and durability. It has good vertical stiffness, and its horizontal stiffness shows a linear characteristic. It doesn’t provide damping, so in practical projects, it’s often used in combination with dampers.
- Lead Rubber Bearing (LRB): Based on the natural rubber bearing, a lead core is embedded in the center. The lead core has excellent plastic deformation ability and can absorb more energy during earthquakes, further improving the bearing’s seismic resistance. It has good vertical stiffness, its horizontal stiffness shows a bilinear characteristic, and it can provide a certain amount of damping.
- High Damping Rubber Bearing (HDR): Made of special high-damping rubber materials, it can not only absorb seismic energy but also reduce the vibration amplitude and maintain good structural stability. It has good vertical stiffness and provides stronger energy dissipation capacity.
- Elastic Slide Bearing (ESB): Combines the characteristics of rubber isolation and sliding displacement. It allows the bearing to have a certain displacement in the horizontal direction during an earthquake, thereby reducing the force of the earthquake on the structure. It is characterized by good vertical stiffness, low friction coefficient, and large displacement capacity.
Structures
- GPZ(KZ) Fixed Anti-seismic Pot Rubber Bearing2: Mainly consists of upper seat plate, energy dissipation plate, sealing ring, rubber plate, bottom basin and damping rubber ring.
- GPZ(KZ) Unidirectional Anti-seismic Pot Rubber Bearing2: In addition to the components of the fixed type, it also includes intermediate steel plate, PTFE sliding plate, stainless steel sliding plate and lateral sliding device.
Working Principles
- Shear Deformation of Rubber8: Relying on the excellent elasticity of the rubber material, the anti-seismic rubber bearing can undergo elastic deformation in the horizontal direction during an earthquake to absorb and disperse seismic energy, reducing the transmission of seismic forces to the upper structure.
- Energy Dissipation of Lead Core: For lead rubber bearings, the lead core in the center undergoes plastic deformation during an earthquake, converting seismic energy into heat energy for dissipation and enhancing the bearing’s energy dissipation capacity.
- Sliding Friction2: Some anti-seismic rubber bearings, such as elastic slide bearings, utilize the friction between the sliding surfaces to control the displacement of the bearing in the horizontal direction during an earthquake, achieving the purpose of shock absorption and isolation.
Applications
- In Bridge Engineering: For example, the GPZ(KZ) series of anti-seismic pot rubber bearings are widely used in highway bridges2. They can effectively transfer loads, adapt to bridge deformation and displacement, and improve the bridge’s seismic capacity. During an earthquake, they can limit the relative displacement between the upper and lower parts of the bridge and reduce the amplification factor of seismic forces2.
- In Building Engineering: In high-rise buildings and large-span spatial structures, anti-seismic rubber bearings are installed at the bottom of the building structure. They can reduce the vibration and noise of the structure during an earthquake, improve the comfort and safety of the building, and protect the safety of people and the integrity of the building8.
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