Influence of ambient temperature on seismic performance of elastomeric isolation structural system

Abstract

As one of the most innovative technology in the field of structural engineering, rubber isolation system has been widely used in engineering structures. However, the mechanical performance of elastomeric rubber bearing is severely affected by temperature, which is not considered in the seismic isolation design in most areas and may lead to serious accidents in severely cold and seismically active areas. This study aims to evaluate the seismic performance of the elastomeric isolation structure with rubber bearings at different ambient temperatures. First, the mechanical properties of the high-performance rubber bearings used in the structure are tested at −40, −25, 0, 20, and 40 °C. Then, based on a three-dimensional finite element model of the isolation structure, the influence of bearing temperature dependence on the seismic performance of the elastomeric isolation structure is evaluated. Finally, seismic fragility assessment is conducted to probabilistically evaluate the impact of temperature on the seismic response of the elastomeric isolation structure. The results show that temperature has a significant influence on the mechanical properties of the rubber bearings; the maximum values of the base shear force, the isolating coefficient, the maximum story drift and the acceleration of the superstructure at −25 °C increase by 46.09%, 43.92%, 51.53%, 45.64%, respectively, compared with that at 20 °C in the case study; Therefore, the influence of the bearing temperature dependence on the seismic response of the elastomeric isolation structure cannot be ignored.