Shake Table Testing of Triple Friction Pendulum Isolators under Extreme Conditions

Keywords: seismic isolation; Triple FP isolator; shake table testing; uplift of isolators; analytical prediction of response

Abstract: This report describes an experimental program of a 3-story seismically isolated structure in which Triple Friction Pendulum (TFP) isolators were tested under extreme conditions, including uplift.  This report presents information on (a) the performance of the TFP isolators and the isolated superstructure under strong excitation where the TFP isolators operate in all five regimes, including stiffening and deformation up to the displacement capacity, (b) the effect of the vertical component of earthquakes on the isolation system and superstructure response, (c) the behavior of TFP bearings of unusual configurations of which the behavior cannot be predicted by conventional models of TFP behavior, and (d) comparison of experimental results to analytical predictions of programs SAP2000 and 3pleANI in order to investigate the degree of accuracy of existing analysis models and newly developed formulations.