Peripherally restraining type rubber bearing

Abstract

Seismic isolation was reconfirmed to be extremely efficient for the protection of buildings, and hence human life, on the occasion of the Great Hanshin Earthquake. Rubber bearings are placed under the buildings for isolation, and thus the type of rubber bearings is a dominant factor for efficient isolation. In this report, the performance of peripherally restraining type rubber bearing (PRB) was examined where its contracted model was found to simulate the performance of full scale PRB precisely. Damping ratio and vertical spring constant of PRB are as good as the existing ones. PRB showed lower critical shear strain, but it was concluded that no problems were found for the actual use of PRB.