An Innovative Method for Damping the Seismic Waves on Pile Foundations Using A Mixture of Rubber-Binder Jacketing

Abstract

Earthquakes are sudden and unpredictable natural activity that causes severe damage. As a result of the increasing seismic activity in Iraq, it has become necessary to conduct a study on the impact of earthquakes and methods of damping them. Since traditional seismic damping methods for construction are very expensive, alternative solutions are necessary. Therefore, this research proposes a new damping method that depends on surrounding the piles with rubber crumbs, as the rubber works to dampen the seismic force before it reaches the piles before moving to the structure. This method is considered a type of sustainability. The study included a set of variables, including (the thickness of the rubber that surrounds the piles, and the position of placing the rubber that sleeved the piles). The tests were carried out using the shaking table device. The results showed that surrounding the piles with rubber gave distinct results in damping the seismic force and it is considered an easy damping method due to its ease of implementation, as well as its economic feasibility. The results showed for the models that surround the rubber in the upper part of the pile, an increase in the values of the acceleration of the structure and a decrease in the values of the movement speed of the structure, the values of the lateral displacement of the structure. The models in which the rubber surrounds the middle and bottom part of the pile, the results were close to the reference model.