Study on a Novel Variable-Frequency Rolling Pendulum Bearing

Seismic isolation is a technique that has been widely used around the world to decouple the superstructure from the ground motions during earthquakes. However, the attention of seismic isolation is mostly focused on the protection of the building structures. Acceleration-sensitive devices or equipment, which are in desperate need of seismic protection, are still not fully emphasized. Meanwhile, the stiffness and frequencies of the conventional rolling- and sliding-type isolation bearings demonstrate an upward trend as the isolation layer displacement increases, which may bring self-centering and resonance issues. Thus, a novel variable-frequency rolling pendulum bearing is developed for the protection of acceleration-sensitive equipment. The rolling-type isolation bearing is selected to enhance the self-centering capacity, and additional viscous dampers are incorporated to improve the system damping. Moreover, the theoretical formulas of several typical variable-frequency rolling pendulum bearings are derived and presented to figure out the dynamic characterization of the device. The isolation efficiency of the proposed device under different parameters is also validated using shake table tests. Test results demonstrate that the newly proposed devices show excellent isolation performance at reducing both acceleration and displacement responses. Finally, the numerical model of this isolation system is proposed in detail. The simulated results, including relative acceleration responses, relative displacement responses and movement locus of the upper plates, are consistent with test results, which demonstrates this simplified model could be used for further studies.

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