Development of Performance-based Testing Specifications for Seismic Isolators

Keywords: Earthquake engineering, seismic isolation, testing specifications, heating effects, short- and long-duration motions, ASCE/SEI-7

Abstract: This report presents a methodology and describes the testing conditions for (a) determining the bounding properties of isolators for use in analysis and design, and (b) interrogating the isolators to the effects of the maximum considered earthquake. Results are presented for single Friction Pendulum, triple Friction Pendulum and Lead-rubber isolators, for short- and longduration motions. Information is also provided on how to test at specific probabilities of exceedance so that the test conditions are selected to be neither excessively conservative nor unconservative. Fundamental in this methodology is the use of analysis models in which the properties of the isolators (friction or characteristic strength) are dependent on the instantaneous temperature at the sliding interfaces or in the lead core..