Laminated Rubber Bearings Research Articles

Seismic Responses and Overturning Resistance Capacity of Base-Isolated Structures Under the Influence of Pounding Interactions with Adjacent Structures

Seismic accelerations and interlayer displacements can be reduced by Laminated Rubber Bearings (LRBs) efficiently. Isolators would amplify the displacement of the superstructure by extending the natural period, thereby reducing acceleration and seismic damage. However, as a result, the risk of pounding with adjacent structures would be raised. This study investigated the seismic responses and overturning resistance capacity of base-isolated structures subjected to pounding against an adjacent structure. Parameter studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of gap size, pounding stiffness, and horizontal stiffness of the isolation layer. Results show that poundings are characterized by intense, short forces causing acceleration spikes, amplifying the overturning coefficient and risk. The overturning risk initially decreases then increases with gap size under pulse-like earthquakes, while wider gaps mitigate effects during non-pulse events. Increased pounding stiffness intensifies poundings, heightening vulnerability. The structure’s overturning resistance initially improves with increased horizontal stiffness of the isolation layer but declines excessively with further stiffness increase.

Seismic damage assessment of bonded versus unbonded laminated rubber bearings: A deep learning perspective

Laminated Rubber Bearings (LRBs), widely employed in highway bridges worldwide, are vulnerable to shear failure, squeezing or displacing during seismic events, potentially compromising bridge safety. Establishing a reliable approach for assessing the damage of LRBs is crucial for evaluating the seismic performance of bridges and preventing serious damage. To address this concern, this paper proposes a novel approach for LRBs seismic damage assessment based on computer vision (CV) technique. First, quasi-static loading tests are conducted on both bonded and unbonded LRBs to effectively enhance the understanding of their nonlinear properties. Subsequently, a large number of bearing samples are investigated to develop a comprehensive image database for a CV-based damage assessment model. A deep convolutional network (CNN) is designed to segment damage pixels, which are then combined with damage indicators to quantify the impact of various influencing factors on seismic damage using the interpretable machine learning technique, Shapley value. The results demonstrate that the CNN model achieves high-precision pixel segmentation and accurate predictions of seismic damage to LRBs, with RMSE consistently below 0.009 and R2 exceeding 95 %. The primary factor influencing LRB damage is the type of constraint, which interacts with loading characteristics and geometric dimensions to produce various coupled effects. This high-precision CV-based approach shows significant potential for estimating seismic damage states of critical bridge components and building seismic protection.

Experimental investigation and numerical analysis of a hybrid bridge isolation system utilizing bonded and unbonded laminated rubber bearings

To enhance the seismic resilience of bridges equipped with nonseismic laminated rubber bearings, a novel seismic isolation system is proposed, leveraging hybrid bonded and unbonded laminated rubber bearings. An experimental program is conducted to investigate the seismic behavior of this innovative hybrid bearing system. Cyclic loadings are applied to bonded, unbonded, and hybrid bearings to assess their force-displacement hysteretic response, energy dissipation, and restoring performance. The experimental findings reveal that unbonded rubber bearings exhibit significant energy dissipation through sliding but show limitations in restorability. Conversely, bonded bearings demonstrate superior restoring capacity but offer limited energy dissipation. The proposed hybrid bearings, combining bonded and unbonded bearings, achieve a favorable equilibrium between energy dissipation and restoring performance. Compared to individual bonded and unbonded bearings, the hybrid bearings exhibit a remarkable increase in energy dissipation by 110 % and restoring performance by 185 %. Furthermore, a numerical simulation method is proposed to accurately capture the critical hysteretic behavior of the hybrid bearings.

An innovative sliding-controllable laminated rubber bearing for enhancing seismic performance of highway bridges

Economical laminated rubber bearings have been widely utilized in highway bridges for their exceptional performance under service conditions. These bearings effectively mitigate seismic responses during earthquakes through shear deformation or sliding, contingent upon their bonding methods, whether bonded or unbonded. Nevertheless, past seismic events have underscored vulnerabilities, with unbonded laminated rubber bearings susceptible to excessive displacement and bonded bearings prone to fracture during large earthquakes. To address these seismic deficiencies and improve bridge seismic performance, a novel controllable sliding laminated rubber bearing (SC-LRB) is proposed in this study. The SC-LRB seamlessly integrates the shear-deforming behavior of bonded laminated rubber bearings (B-LRB) with the frictional sliding behavior of unbonded bearings (U-LRB). A quasi-static experiment was initially conducted to investigate the cyclic behaviors of the SC-LRB, leading to the development and calibration of the numerical model for the bearing. Subsequent nonlinear time history analyses were carried out to evaluate the influence of SC-LRBs on the seismic performance of bridges. Results indicate that, with its three-stage working mechanism (pre-sliding, sliding, and post-sliding), the SC-LRB exhibits a friction-shear collaborative behavior, effectively balancing the energy dissipation and recentering capacities of the bearing during earthquakes. Bridges equipped with the SC-LRB demonstrate an ability to maintain balance between controlling bearing displacements and isolating pier seismic demands. The proposed SC-LRB presents promising potential for enhancing the seismic resilience of highway bridges.

Overturning Resistance of Structure Base-Isolated by Laminated Rubber Bearing Considering Pounding Against the Moat Wall

The overturning resistance of structures base-isolated using laminated rubber bearings (LRBs) is crucial to the stability of the structure due to the poor tensile performance of LRBs. Pounding occurs between the structure and moat wall, which can result in a reduction of the overturning resistance of the structure. This study aims to investigate the overturning resistance of a structure base-isolated by LRBs considering pounding against the moat wall based on numerical simulations. The influence of the gap size, pounding stiffness, and the horizontal stiffness of the isolation storey on the overturning resistance of the isolated structure was evaluated through parameter studies. The results indicate that poundings between the structure and moat wall result in short but large pounding forces. Pounding forces would amplify acceleration, inter-storey drifts of the isolated structure, and significantly increase the risk of overturning of the isolated structure. Increasing the gap ratio can improve the seismic performance of the structure. Larger pounding stiffness leads to greater pounding forces generated by the structure, and the risk of overturning of the structure increases. The coefficient of overturning resistance initially decreases, and then increases, as the stiffness of the isolation storey increases.

Rubber compounds made of modified ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) for laminated bearings with excellent anti-peel strength

In order to enhance the design life of laminated rubber bearings in the field of highway bridges in the plateau region, a novel laminated bearing was made by the modified ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber that combines both low-temperature and ageing resistance properties in this work. The modified EPDM also exhibit a high anti-peel strength with reinforced steel plate layer. Experimental and numerical investigations were carried out to evaluate the mechanical properties and failure conditions for the EPDM laminated bearing. The results indicate that the bearing with different shape factors exhibit good mechanical properties, and its key performance parameters such as compressive modulus and shear stiffness meet the requirements of the current specification for highway bridges. Meanwhile, we have established a quantitative relationship between the proportion of void area and the total local shear strain for EPDM laminated bearing, and found that when the proportion of void area reaches more than 32 %, some of the performance indexes of the bearing will exceeds the design limit. The above research results can be used as an important criterion for evaluating the performance of modified EPDM bearings.

Experimental and theoretical analysis of mechanical properties of FRP laminated rubber bearing

Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) laminated rubber bearing is a kind of high-performance isolator with simple structure, low cost, light weight and excellent mechanical properties. The mechanical properties of FRP laminated rubber bearings are investigated by experimental and theoretical methods. Based on the pseudo-static vertical compression test and compression-shear test experiment, the vertical and horizontal mechanical properties of the bearings under different vertical pressures are investigated. According to the deformation compatibility and boundary conditions of elastic composites, the modified calculation equations for the vertical and horizontal stiffness of FRP laminated rubber bearings are derived, and the theoretical analysis is verified by the results of laboratory tests. The influence law of characteristic parameters such as shape factor on the mechanical properties of bearings has been investigated. Tests and theoretical analysis show that the increase of vertical pressure causes a certain degree of increase in the vertical stiffness and a significant reduction in the horizontal stiffness of the bearing. By studying the effect of horizontal and vertical stiffness, the manuscript provides a useful reference for the design of FRP laminated rubber bearings.

Gaussian process regression driven rapid life-cycle based seismic fragility and risk assessment of laminated rubber bearings supported highway bridges subjected to multiple uncertainty sources

Structural attributes, corrosion of steel rebars in reinforced concrete (RC) columns, thermal oxidative aging of inherent rubber in laminated rubber bearings (LRBs), replacement of LRBs, and the time-dependent seismic hazard level at the bridge site are well recognized as the main factors that affect the accurate assessment of the seismic performance of RC bridges implemented with LRBs. However, the probabilistic seismic demand model (PSDM) and probabilistic structural capacity model (PSCM) of deteriorated bridge components may not exhibit homoscedastic log-linearity. And the expansion of seismic fragility surfaces and seismic risk curves in the temporal dimension requires a considerable computational cost on the nonlinear analysis, which regretfully has not been well addressed in current studies. To fill in this gap, this study proposes a life-cycle based seismic fragility and risk assessment framework for LRBs supported RC bridges considering deterioration mechanisms of bridge components during their life cycles demonstrated by a three-span LRBs supported highway bridge considering multiple uncertainties such as the replacement interval for LRBs. In this framework, Gaussian process regression (GPR) is employed to effectively construct the PSDM and PSCM of deteriorated bridge components, and then the time-dependent seismic fragility surfaces of bridge components and bridge system are established. Life-cycle based seismic risk analysis is conducted to quantify the coupled time-dependent effects of deterioration and site seismic hazard on a newly built bridge during its design service life and a deteriorated bridge within its remaining service life, respectively. Results indicate that GPR can successfully capture the nonlinearity and heteroscedasticity characteristics of PSDM and PSCM, leading to a significant reduced number of nonlinear analysis cases to generate the time-dependent seismic fragility surfaces and seismic risk curves. Consequently, the proposed framework using GPR can significantly improve the accuracy and efficiency of life-cycle based seismic performance assessment when uncertainties of structural attributes, deterioration progress and seismic hazard are taken into consideration.

Seismic performance upgrade of highway bridges using a novel hybrid placement of bonded and unbonded laminated rubber bearings

To enhance the seismic performance of highway bridges supported by laminated rubber bearings, this study proposes a novel hybrid placement of bonded and unbonded bearings. The typical analytical models of the hybrid bearing system are obtained and its critical design parameters are identified through theoretical analysis. A design procedure is then established to rapidly determine the design parameters for the hybrid bearing system according to specified design objectives. Nonlinear time history analyses are conducted to demonstrate the impact of the hybrid bearing system on the seismic responses of bridges. The analytical results indicate that the hybrid bearing system, when designed using the proposed procedure, can achieve the desired hysteretic behavior. The hybrid system combines the benefits of both bonded and unbonded bearings, effectively controlling maximum and residual bearing displacements without significantly increasing the seismic demand on bridge piers. The design parameters for the hybrid bearing system should be determined by carefully balancing the responses between the bearings and the piers.

Combined concrete and cable restrainers to prevent longitudinal unseating of highway bridges during earthquakes

Numerous irregular highway bridges with laminated rubber bearings are constructed in Southwest China, which are likely to suffer from unseating failure of girders during earthquakes. Due to the shortcomings of existing unseating prevention devices, a novel system composed of concrete restrainer and steel cable, termed as CCCR, is proposed to prevent longitudinal unseating at the flexible transition piers of irregular highway bridges. The configuration and mechanical properties of the proposed CCCR is first elaborated. To verify the efficiency of the proposed system, a refined finite element model is developed for a typical highway bridge, in which the nonlinear behaviors of rubber bearings, concrete restrainers, steel cables, bridge piers, abutments, as well as pounding between adjacent segments are simulated in detail. Incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) is then conducted using this model considering three scenarios, namely the bridge system (1) without restrainer (Prototype), (2) with concrete restrainer (CR), and (3) with combined concrete and cable restrainers (CCCR). Additionally, extensive parametric analyses are also carried out to further investigate the influence of the critical parameters of CCCR on the unseating prevention performance and the damage of pier. The results show that the proposed CCCR system can effectively prevent unseating even under most catastrophic earthquakes with the pier still maintaining slight damage. Besides, design values of the critical parameters are recommended based on the parametric analysis, including the capacity and initial gap of the concrete restrainer, as well as the length and slack of the steel cable.

Full-scale laboratory investigation on laminated rubber bearings for metro-induced vibration mitigation

The vibration response generated by the operation of a metro system has a profound impact on the physical and mental well-being of urban residents. Vibration control is essential to effectively isolate the multi-band vibration response and structure-borne noise of buildings. Laminated rubber bearings between the foundation and the superstructures serve as a common, cost-effective solution for the seismic isolation of structures and have great potential to be used for metro-induced vibration mitigation. In this study, two types of full-scale laminated rubber bearings (i.e., linear natural rubber bearing and lead rubber bearing) were tested under various compressive stresses, ranging from 5 MPa to 15 MPa, to examine the static and dynamic characteristics of the bearings, including vertical hysteresis curves, vertical static stiffness, time history response, and frequency spectrum. Then, the numerical simulation of a base-isolated building structure equipped with laminated rubber bearings was conducted to evaluate the vertical vibration isolation performance and structure-borne noise isolation capability. It was demonstrated that the laminated rubber bearings have stable vertical bearing capacities and performance in isolating vertical vibrations.

Coastal bridges with a box-girder superstructure under the action of solitary waves: Study on the optimization of bearings, dynamic characteristics and failure mechanism

Coastal bridges featuring a box-girder design are instrumental in advancing coastal transport and economic development. However, numerous coastal bridges with limited clearance above sea level are prone to the impact of the extreme waves. In order to enhance the survivability of superstructures of the bridge in the face of severe wave conditions, the present study implemented measures such as adding steel fasteners to conventional laminated rubber bearings and incorporating fluid viscous dampers to the box-girder superstructure. A three-dimensional fluid-structure coupling model, including a three-dimensional numerical flume, adjacent structures, and a box-girder superstructure supported by various bearings, is developed to explore the failure mechanisms and dynamic properties of the superstructure when subjected to extreme solitary wave conditions. Then, the effects of the implemented measures on the disaster resistance of bridge superstructures are comprehensively examined. The results indicate that: (1) After subjected to extreme solitary wave actions, the box-girder superstructure is at a high risk of failure due to sliding, unseating, and overturning. (2) Adding steel fasteners to conventional laminated rubber bearings can effectively alleviate overturning failure of the box-girder superstructure. (3) The addition of fluid viscous dampers into the box-girder superstructure can effectively decrease its maximum displacement. (4) Bridges with box-girder superstructures typically undergo bearing vertical and deformation failure during their failure process.

Mitigating train-induced building vibrations with rubber bearings designed for horizontal earthquake isolation

As rail transportation, including high-speed railways and urban metros, rapidly expands, its proximity to residential areas decreases, raising concerns about ground-borne vibrations. This study investigates the main characteristics of ground-borne vibrations induced by high-speed railways and metros through substructure method based on 2.5D FEM-MFS (finite element method-the method of fundamental solutions). Besides, the study also delves into the vertical vibration behaviors of buildings caused by train operations, evaluating the effect of laminated rubber bearings designed for horizontal seismic isolation on the train-induced building vibration mitigation. Our findings highlight that the broadband vibrations from train operations might coincide with the natural vibration frequencies of buildings, potentially leading to resonance. Implementing isolators allows the natural frequencies of the vibration modes with larger effective masses to be significantly lower than the dominant frequencies of train-induced ground-borne vibration, reducing the high-frequency responses. Additionally, the vibration mitigation enhances with the increase in the thickness of rubber layer. This research not only aims to reduce vibration levels in buildings adjacent to railways, enhancing the living conditions and health of residents but also underscores the engineering innovations necessary for sustainable urban development.

Analytical Solution for the Ultimate Compression Capacity of Unbonded Steel-Mesh-Reinforced Rubber Bearings

Unbonded steel-mesh-reinforced rubber bearings (USRBs) have been proposed as an alternative isolation bearing for small-to-medium-span highway bridges. It replaces the steel plate reinforcement of common unbonded laminated rubber bearings (ULNR) with special steel wire meshes, resulting in improved lateral properties and seismic performance. However, the impact of this novel steel wire mesh reinforcement on the ultimate compression capacity of USRB has not been studied. To this end, theoretical and experimental analysis of the ultimate compression capacity of USRBs were carried out. The closed-form analytical solution of the ultimate compression capacity of USRBs was derived from a simplified USRB model employing elasticity theory. A parametric study was conducted considering the geometric and material properties. Ultimate compression tests were conducted on 19 USRB specimens to further calibrate the analytical solution, considering the influence of the number of reinforcement layers. An efficient solution for USRBs’ ultimate compression capacity was obtained via multilinear regression of the calibrated analytical results. The efficient solution can simplify the estimation of USRBs’ ultimate compression capacity while maintaining the same accuracy as the calibrated solution. Based on the efficient solution, the design process of a USRB with a specific ultimate compression capacity was illustrated.

PRELIMINARY EVALUATIONS OF AIR TEMPERATURE EFFECTS ON THE RESPONSE OF SEISMICALLY ISOLATED BRIDGES EMPLOYING ELASTOMERIC BEARINGS

Laminated rubber bearing is a common seismic protection device for bridge structures based on its high vertical stiffness, low horizontal and rotational stiffness, and significant lateral restoring capacity. However, the mechanical behavior of elastomers, particularly the material's shear stiffness, is significantly influenced by variations in air temperature. The cyclic behavior of elastomeric isolators is affected by variations in air temperature and this is considered by current seismic codes through requiring upper and lower bound analysis using relevant modification factors. As a result, it significantly impacts the seismic responses of structures employing laminate rubber isolators. However, this aspect is not frequently considered when designing seismic isolation in most locations. This article aims to evaluate the effect of air temperature on the seismic response of isolated bridges. A parametric study, with varying temperature conduction, is carried out. The responses of a seismically isolated bridge are evaluated by the peak value of lateral force and displacement. Results indicate that air temperature has considerable effects on the behavior of rubber isolators and seismic responses of isolated bridges.

Nonlinear dynamic assessment of sloshing in a seismically isolated rectangular liquid tank using laminated rubber bearing

The primary purpose of the research is to study the effect of free surface nonlinearity in the overall slosh dynamics of base-isolated liquid tank by developing a nonlinear finite element model under different frequency content of earthquakes. Six natural earthquakes are considered, which are categorized under low-, intermediate-, and high-frequency contents. The mixed Eulerian and Lagrangian technique is adopted based on the potential flow theory for developing the fluid domain. The efficacy of the developed computational model is verified with the existing results. The potential constraints of linear responses are demonstrated alongside the dominance of nonlinear counterparts. The slosh amplitudes are underestimated in the linear model, which emphasizes the importance of the present nonlinear approach in adequately determining the freeboard to prevent loss of liquid due to spillage and unexpected roof failure. The laminated rubber bearing isolator played a crucial role in reducing the total and impulsive components of hydrodynamic pressure as well as base shear for both linear and nonlinear approaches. However, the effect of nonlinearity is significant in the contribution of the convective component of pressure and base shear, irrespective of the frequency content of earthquakes. Also, the nonlinear convective base shear is greater than the linear counterpart for non-isolated and base-isolated tanks, and such phenomenon is marginal for higher frequency content motions. Furthermore, resonant studies of both the tank systems are performed using a harmonic ground acceleration. The seismic parameters of the base-isolated tank are amplified when the excitation frequency is very close to its fundamental sloshing frequency rather than the natural frequency of the isolator.

Effects of rotational component of ground motions on seismic responses of asymmetric base-isolated structures

Asymmetric base-isolated structures installed on lead rubber bearings (LRBs) and laminated rubber bearings (LNRs) may suffer severe torsion due to the presence of the eccentricity ratio of the isolation system (eb/r). It is also recognized that the rotational component of ground motions can markedly increase torsional responses in structures, which may further amplify the adverse effect of torsion on asymmetric structures. Therefore, understanding how these rotational motions affect asymmetric base-isolated structures on LRBs and LNRs is crucial. Surprisingly, existing literature overlooks the impact of the structural parameter (eb/r) and the ground motion’s pulse period (Tp) on these effects. To fill this gap, numerical analyses are conducted on typical U-shaped planar asymmetric base-isolated structures. These structures, having 5 and 8 stories, are examined using MATLAB programming. Firstly, the translational and rotational responses of the selected cases under coupled rotational and translational components of ground motions are compared with those under the translational components. The responses are also compared to those of the associated, asymmetric fixed-base structures. Then, the role of eb/r in amplifying the negative effect of rotational excitations on selected cases is examined by varying eb/r from 0 to 0.3. The study compares the responses of selected cases subjected to coupled rotational and translational components of fourteen pulse-type ground motions (with Tp ranging from 0.728 to 8.043 s) to those subjected only to the translational components. The results reveal that seismic isolation effectively mitigates the adverse effects of the rotational component of ground motions on asymmetric structures. While rotational components can increase torsion in asymmetric base-isolated structures, the adverse effects are relatively minor and are not exacerbated by eb/r. However, when facing pulse-type ground motions with substantial Tp values, these structures exhibit at least a 200% increase in maximum interstory rotation and a 28% increase in maximum isolator displacement. These increases significantly exceed those observed for the structure subjected to non-pulse-type ground motions. Consequently, structural engineers should take these findings into account when designing and evaluating asymmetric base-isolated structures installed on LRBs and LNRs, particularly in regions where pulse-type ground motions are typical.

Longitudinal seismic displacement analysis of Quasi Seismic Isolation Bridge based on Energy-based Multimodal Pushover Method with and without collision

This paper aims to evaluate the longitudinal seismic displacement of the Quasi Seismic Isolation Bridge (QSIB) based on the Energy-based Multimodal Pushover Method (EMPM), including the pier-beam relative displacement and the collision effect. As a simplified seismic analysis method, the EMPM invokes the concept of energy balance into the modal pushover analysis to assess the nonlinear seismic behavior of Laminated Rubber Bearing (LRB) on bridges. In this method, the energy-based capability curve is obtained by the modal pushover analysis, while the energy-based demand curve is estimated under the ground motion record. The target performance criterion can be derived by intersecting the capability curve with the demand curve. The effect of several key factors in EMPM, such as the mode classification and selection, collision effect, energy coefficient and ductility factor, are studied by a case study of a prototype QSIB under ChiChi and El Centro earthquakes. The results of EMPM are compared with those from Nonlinear Time History Analysis (NTHA), to illustrate the effectiveness and accuracy of this method for evaluating the maximum seismic displacement, and the pier-beam relative displacement with and without collision. Results show that the EMPM is found to be able to estimate the longitudinal seismic displacement of the QSIB with and without collision, and can be used as an effective alternative for rapid assess the seismic performance of bridges. The results also indicate that LRB stiffness for modal analysis should be taken as the stiffness pre- or post-sliding when without or with the gap element. Collision effect enlarges the peak displacement and the maximum bias of EMPM.

Seismic Response of a PC Continuous Box Girder Bridge under Extreme Ambient Temperature

To study the effect of temperature on the seismic performance of a prestressed reinforced concrete (PC) continuous girder bridge with laminated rubber bearings (LRBs), a two-linked continuous bridge was used as the background to consider the effect of extreme temperature on the properties of LRBs and pier concrete. First, the properties of concrete specimens were tested at different temperatures to obtain their mechanical parameters at extreme temperatures. Then, we obtained the effect of extreme temperature on the seismic response of consecutive bridges with LRBs by examining the seismic response of the pier moments, pier top displacements, and bearing deformations. The results show that compared with normal temperatures, the extreme temperature causes a change in parameters of the LRBs and concrete pier, which increases the internal force and displacement response of a pier under an extremely low temperature by 37.13% and 32.74%, respectively. The displacement of bearings under extremely high temperature conditions increases by 16.31%. The influence of temperature changes on the mechanical parameters of LRBs will change the connection stiffness of the pier and superstructure, resulting in significant changes in the seismic response of the pier and bearing, so that the internal force and displacement response of the pier are negatively correlated with the temperature.

Development of an innovative three-dimensional vibration isolation bearing

This paper presented an innovative three-dimensional vibration isolation bearing (3D-VIB) to mitigate horizontal seismic action and rail-induced vertical vibration. The 3D-VIB was composed of a thick laminated rubber bearing acting as the vertical vibration isolation module and a friction pendulum acting as the horizontal seismic isolation module. The thick laminated rubber bearing was used as a part of the slider in the friction pendulum. The compression performance of 3D-VIB was decoupled from its shear performance by concentrating the compressive deformation into the thick rubber bearing while shear deformation occurred independently in the friction pendulum module. The bearing capacity, vertical and horizontal properties of a full-scale 3D-VIB specimen were tested. In the test, the ultimate bearing capacity of 3D-VIB was 7 times that of the design compressive load of normal service condition. The vertical stiffness of the specimen under seismic vibration and vertical rail-induced vibration were tested separately. It was found that the vertical stiffness of the specimen under rail-induced vibration was 1.55 times higher than the vertical stiffness under seismic vibration. The horizontal performance of the 3D-VIB was characterized by stable parallelogram-shaped hysteretic curves similar to that of the traditional friction pendulum system. A user-defined element was developed and incorporated into ABAQUS to simulate the mechanical behavior of the 3D-VIB under different loading conditions, and simulation results agreed with the test results. The responses of a steel structure equipped with the 3D-VIB, while subjected to earthquake ground motions and rail-induced vibrations, respectively, were analyzed and compared with the non-isolated one. The analysis results suggested that with the installation of the 3D-VIB, the maximum inter-story drift ratio of the structure under maximum considered earthquake was reduced by about 88%. The average maximum transient vibration value of the rail-induced vertical vibration at the typical points of the conventional model was 86.2 dB, while that in the 3D-isolated model was 78.6 dB, the vibration reduction was 7.6 dB.