Seismic Isolation of Bridges and

Mission-Critical Infrastructure

Professor Andrew Whittaker, S.E.

Professor Michael Constantinou
Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering
University at Buffalo

MULTIDISCIPLINARY CENTER FOR EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING RESEARCH

Overview of presentation

• Seismic protective systems

• Basic principles of operation
• Hardware
• Codes and guidance
• Full-scale testing
• Applications
– Bridges
– Infrastructure
• Protective systems research at UB

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 Seismic protective systems

Semi-Active
Seismic Passive Smart
and Active
Isolation Damping Materials
Damping

Hybrid
Systems

Elastomeric Metallic Variable Stiffness ER Fluid

Lead-rubber Friction and Damping MR Fluid
Sliding (FP) Viscoelastic Mass Damper SMA
Viscous

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Principles of seismic isolation

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 Seismic isolation hardware

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Elastomeric bearings

• Production
– Compression mold
ƒ Seismic bearings
– 1.5 m diameter
– Injection mold
• Used for small bearings
• Vulcanization
– Pressure
– Temperature profile
– Effect of variations in
profile

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 Elastomeric bearings

• Low-damping natural rubber

– Shear modulus in psi
ƒ 75 min, 95 ave, 125 max
– Damping in the range of 2% to 6%
– Temperature dependence
• High-damping rubber
– Shear modulus in psi
ƒ 55 min, 200 max
– Damping in the range of 7% to 14%
– Properties depend on scragging, recovery,
aging, velocity, load-history, axial pressure

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High-damping rubber bearings

12

8
Shear force (kips)

-4

-8

-12
-300 -200 -100 0 100 200 300
Shear strain (%)

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Lead-rubber bearings

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Lead-rubber bearings

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Friction Pendulum™ bearing

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Friction Pendulum™ bearing

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Friction Pendulum™ bearing

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Eradiquake™ bearing

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Fluid viscous dampers

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Fluid viscous dampers

Nonlinear VD, ± 175 mm, 1 m/sec, 665 kN

200
150
100
Force (kips)

50
0
-50
-100
-150
-200
-7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Displacement (in)

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 Testing of seismic isolators and dampers

• Mandatory for
– Bridges (AASHTO)
– Buildings (NEHRP)
– Nuclear (ASCE-4-98)
• Protocols
– Prototype
ƒ Travel, braking, thermal
ƒ Seismic
– Production
ƒ Quality control
• Velocity effects
– Static testing
– Dynamic testing

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Bridge applications

EEL RIVER BRIDGE, CALIFORNIA

LEAD-RUBBER BEARINGS

KODIAK, ALASKA
FP BEARINGS

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 Codes and guidance
• 1999 AASHTO Guide
Specification for Seismic
Isolation Design
– Analysis
ƒ Linear, nonlinear dynamic
– Design
– Testing
• 2003 NEHRP Recommended
Provisions
– Analysis, design, testing
• FHWA/Caltrans Technical
Report on service and seismic
design of protective hardware
– Constantinou, Whittaker, et al.
– 2007
• CERF/HITEC reports
• Reports, manuals, books

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Bridge applications

BENICIA-MARTINEZ BRIDGE
SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA
FP BEARINGS

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Infrastructure applications

LNG TANKS, REVITHOUSSA, GREECE

FP BEARINGS

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Infrastructure applications

LNG TANKS, INCHON, KOREA

ELASTOMERIC BEARINGS

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 Applications: Sakhalin II gas platforms

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Applications: Sakhalin II gas platforms

• Mission-critical application
— Protection of USD $10+B
• Application of seismic
protective technologies
• Seismic isolation bearings
under extreme compressive
loading
― Gravity: 7,000 tons
― DLE: 15,000 tons
• Artic temperatures (-60ºF)
• Challenges
― Isolator sizing
― Heat flux calculations
― Simplified dynamic analysis
― Testing

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 Applications: Sakhalin II gas platforms

400

300
Temperature rise ( oC)

200
Unidirectional sinusoidal motion,
250 mm amplitude, 0.6 Hz, 7 cycles,
33.6 N/mm2 pressure

100
Bidirectional seismic motion with
varying axial load

0
0 10 20 30 40
Time (sec)

• Maintain average and edge pressure

• Maintain thickness of liner
• Scale overlay thickness
• Bearing thicknesses to maintain thermodynamic conditions
• Testing procedure to simulate temperature rise due to frictional
heating (related to liner wear)

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Applications: Sakhalin II gas platforms

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 Protective systems research at UB

• Hardware development
– Lead-rubber bearings
– Double concave FP bearings
– XY FP bearings
• Systems development
– Bridges
– Nuclear structures

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Double concave FP bearing (Fenz)

• Variant on the FP bearing Pivot Point

– Two sliding surfaces

1
R1 h1
• Radii: R1 and R2 R2 h2
• Friction: µ1 and µ2 2
d d
– Large displacement capacity u=u2
• Nearly double that of FP 1
bearing with same plan
dimensions
• Analytical formulations 2
u=u1+u2=2d
• Component testing u2 u1
1
– Local behavior
• Earthquake simulator testing
– System behavior 2

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 DC-FP bearing component tests
Equal Radii and Equal Friction Specimen Unequal Radii and Unequal Friction Specimen
0.2 0.15
R1+R2-h1-h2=880 mm R1+R2-h1-h2=1168 mm

Vertical Force

Vertical Force
Lateral Force

Lateral Force
0.0 0.00

Experimental Experimental
Analytical Analytical
-0.2 -0.15
-125 0 125 -125 0 125
Total Displacement, u (mm) Total Displacement, u (mm)
0.2 0.15
R1-h1=438 mm R1-h1=726 mm
Vertical Force

Vertical Force
µ1=0.038

Lateral Force
µ1=0.058
Lateral Force

0.0 0.00

-0.2 -0.15
-125 0 125 -125 0 125
Top Displacement, u1 (mm) Top Displacement, u1 (mm)

0.2 0.15
R2-h2=442 mm R2-h2=442 mm

Vertical Force
Vertical Force

µ2=0.021

Lateral Force
µ2=0.057
Lateral Force

0.0 0.00

-0.2 -0.15
-125 0 125 -125 0 125
Bottom Displacement, u2 (mm) Bottom Displacement, u2 (mm)

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DC-FP bearing system tests

o
100% NR Sylmar 90 Longitudinal Excitation
0.15

0.10
Total Vertical Load
Total Base Shear

0.05

0.00

-0.05

-0.10

-0.15
-125 -100 -75 -50 -25 0 25 50 75 100 125
Isolation System Displacement (mm)

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 XY-FP bearing (Marin)
• Variant on the FP bearing
– Orthotropic bearing
• Radii: R1 and R2
• Friction: µ1 and µ2
– Independent sliding
along each rail
– Resistance to tensile
axial loads
• Analytical formulations
• Component testing
– Local behavior
• Earthquake simulator
testing
– System behavior

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Vertical stiffness of rubber bearings (Warn)

• Influence of lateral
displacement on vertical
stiffness
• Improved models of
elastomeric bearings
• Analytical studies P
– Two spring model u δ
F
• Finite element studies v
H
• Component testing θ
– Single bearing test machine s
• Earthquake simulator testing
– UB NEES facility

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 Vertical stiffness of rubber bearings

1.2
Two-spring
LDR 5, ρ=2.75 MPa
1 LDR 5, ρ=5.2 MPa
LDR 5, ρ=9 MPa
0.8

K / (E A/T )
c r
0.6

v
0.4

0.2

0
0 0.25 0.5 0.75 1 1.25 1.5 1.75 2 2.25
u/R

u =152 mm

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Vertical stiffness of rubber bearings

S, Mises
(Ave. Crit.: 75%)
+4.607e+04
+4.223e+04
+3.839e+04
+3.455e+04
+3.072e+04
+2.688e+04
+2.304e+04
+1.920e+04
+1.536e+04
+1.152e+04
+7.684e+03
+3.845e+03
+6.544e+00

1.2
Two-spring
LDR 5, ρ=2.75 MPa
1
LDR 5, ρ=5.2 MPa
LDR 5, ρ=9 MPa
3
0.8 Low damping rubber bearing
K / (E A/T )

ODB: LDRM2N0H100VC05.odb ABAQUS/STANDARD Version 6.5-1 Wed Aug 17 08:13:11 EDT 2005
r

2
1
Step: Step-1
u =152 mm
c

0.6 Increment 17: Step Time = 1.000

Primary Var: S, Mises
Deformed Var: U Deformation Scale Factor: +1.000e+00
v

0.4

0.2

0
0 0.25 0.5 0.75 1 1.25 1.5 1.75 2 2.25
u/R

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 Vertical stiffness of rubber bearings
• Simulator system studies
– 2 NEES 6 DOF simulators
• Bridge model
– Weight = 90,000 lbs
– Span = 35 ft
• Two isolation systems
– Lead-rubber
– Low-damping rubber
• Earthquake simulation program
– Triaxial inputs
• Study influence of vertical
stiffness on rocking response
• Provide data to validate new
mathematical models
– OpenSees, Matlab, 3D-Basis

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Heating of lead cores (Kalpakidis)

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 Heating of lead cores

• Thermal analysis
– Predict change in isolator
mechanical properties
• Input energy
• Lead core diameter
• Bearing geometry
– Heat conduction through
• Shim plates
• End plates 400

• Analytical studies
350

300

Temperature ( C)
o
– Transient response
250

200

– Steady state response

150

100

• Finite element studies

50

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
r (cm)

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Closing Remarks

• Seismic isolation
– Relatively mature technology
ƒ Elastomeric and sliding isolators
– Applications
ƒ Bridges
ƒ Infrastructure
– Opportunities for improvement in hardware
and systems
– On-going research program at UB

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