Novel Thick Layer Damping Rubber Bearing (TLDRB) with reduced vertical stiffness: Laboratory tests and mechanical models

Abstract

High-rise buildings constructed over metro lines face a dual challenge of both earthquakes and metro vibrations. Traditional High Damping Rubber Bearings (HDRB) suffer from excessive vertical stiffness, posing difficulties in isolating metro vibrations. This study proposes a novel Thick Layer Damping Rubber Bearing (TLDRB). One TLDRB specimen and one comparative Damping Rubber Bearing (DRB) specimen are tested under combined compression and shear as well as pure compression. Test results indicated that TLDRB exhibited stable and significantly enhanced horizontal energy dissipation performance under different pressure conditions. Furthermore, the vertical stiffness of TLDRB was notably reduced. Based on the experimentally determined characteristics, horizontal and vertical mechanical models of TLDRB were established to predict the behavior of TLDRB under seismic conditions. Both models have errors within 10 %, accurately fitting the characteristics of the hysteresis curve of TLDRB. The proposed TLDRB contributes to the implementation of three-dimensional isolation technology in high-rise buildings constructed over metro lines, addressing issues of both seismic safety and metro vibration-induced comfort.