End Rotation Effects of Horizontal Mechanical Properties of Rubber Bearings

Abstract

In order to analysis the bearings rotation of large-span spatial structures, the horizontal mechanical properties of the rubber bearings with relative rotation between upper and lower faces are discussed. Firstly, horizontal mechanical properties of rubber bearings without rotation are analyzed by finite element software ABAQUS. Then their horizontal mechanical properties along same direction of horizontal displacements, and the varying trends of horizontal stiffness and shear strains are obtained. Finally, the finite element analysis results are compared with experimental results. The analysis results show that, when shear strains are small, the horizontal stiffness of bearings decreases with the increases of the rotation, when shear strains are great, horizontal stiffness of bearings increases with the increases of the rotation, and finally tends to equal. The horizontal stiffness increases with the increases of the rotation. The vertical pressure has little effect on the horizontal stiffness in the engineering stress range.