Seismic Performance Analysis of the Two-Dimensional Isolation Device for Double-Layer Grid Structure

Abstract

The isolation technologies are adopted to protect the long-span space structures from serious damage under the action of earthquakes. When the isolation system is applied to the space structures, both horizontal and vertical vibration control effects on the structures should be concerned. In this paper, a two-dimensional earthquake isolation and mitigation device (TEIMD) composed of a high-damping viscoelastic (VE) core pad and VE dampers is proposed. Based on the dynamic shear experiment results of the VE damper, the energy dissipation capability of VE material is preferable. Then, the nonlinear equivalent stiffness and equivalent damping ratio of the TEIMD in horizontal and vertical directions are evaluated by using the numerical simulation method. The TEIMDs are arranged on the column top of a double-layer grid structure to assess the isolation effectiveness of the novel device. The dynamic analysis results of the double-layer grid structure with and without TEIMD reveal that this novel device can significantly reduce the acceleration response of the upper grid by relying on the strong energy dissipation performances in the horizontal and vertical directions. This research also verifies the feasibility of applying the TEIMD to the double-layer grid structure, which can effectively dissipate the vertical vibration energy of the structure.