Experimental and analytical study on sliding vibration of a solid body

Abstract

It is accepted that the use of base isolation systems within a structure offers a decreased amount of maximum acceleration value throughout the structure and provides a higher level of comfort and safety to the residents even during extremely strong ground motions. We want to propose a new low-cost structural system with the aforementioned benefits of the base isolation. A structural model was developed using an ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene film as a friction surface for the whole concrete base of a residential house, creating a friction-based base-isolation system. To understand the friction behavior between the two materials, a computer model was developed in SAP2000 software, and experiments were conducted to confirm the computer model’s proposed behavior. The created computer model is capable of accounting for the adjustments of the dynamic and static friction parameters depending on the velocity of the block. It is possible to conduct the numerical analysis with three-directional input to the system as well as nonlinear solving capabilities. The results of the numerical analysis are compared with the experiment results on a one-directional wave, along with the 1995 Kobe Earthquake ground motion record that had an input in three directions. The results confirm the reproducibility and predictable behavior of the proposed base-isolation method. The maximum acceleration of the concrete base will be no greater than nearly 30% of gravity acceleration regardless of the maximum acceleration of the ground motion.