Improved seismic response prediction of isolated structures using hardening correction in a novel LRB model

Abstract

This study aimed to accurately characterize the large deformation and hardening behavior of lead rubber bearings (LRBs) subjected to seismic loadings. Specifically, both pseudo-static and pseudo-dynamic tests were conducted on LRB600 and LRB400 to investigate the LRB’ mechanical characteristics subjected to large deformation loading. Results indicated that the loading and unloading stiffness and hysteretic behavior can be effectively modeled by a novel mechanical model considering hardening correction. The proposed mechanical model demonstrated a better performance to predict the seismic response of isolated structures compared to other models that tend to overestimate the superstructure's performance state. Therefore, the mechanical model based on hardening correction provides a more accurate assessment of the seismic response of isolated structures than existing models.