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Seismic Isolation Systems in Structures-the

State of Art Review
Conference Paper December 2015

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Proceedings of 11th Global Engineering, Science and Technology Conference

18 - 19 December, 2015, BIAM Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh, ISBN: 978-1-922069-92-4

Seismic Isolation Systems in Structures- the State of Art Review

Zasiah Tafheem1,Tanvir Ahmed Arafat2, Amlan Chowdhury2 and Ashique Iqbal2
Introduction of flexible elements at the base of a structure and at the
same time ensuring enough damping is probably the best option for the
seismic isolation technique. The device that is capable to meet such
criteria is known as isolator. Base isolation incorporation has moved
towards a popular technology in the seismic vulnerable regions. The
system mitigates lateral action of tremor hazard providing flexibility of
structures. Implementing base isolation on buildings in the soil is
currently an important issue. The paper presents the detailed
information of different types of seismic isolation systems in structures.
A comparative study of structural response under seismic vibration
between isolated structure and conventional structure is also given here.
The study reveals that for multi-storey buildings, isolation systems
drastically reduce seismic response. Furthermore, flexibility of structures
predicts some structural savings for reduced responses.

Keywords: Isolation Technique, Seismic Isolation System, Seismic Response.

Field of Research: Civil and Structural Engineering

1. Introduction
The term base isolation uses the word isolation in its meaning of the state of being separated and
base as apart that supports from beneath or serves as a foundation for an object or structure. As
suggested in the literal sense, the structure (a building, bridge or piece of equipment) is separated
from its foundation. The original terminology of base isolation is more commonly replaced with seismic
isolation nowadays, reflecting that in some cases the separation is somewhere above the base for
example, in a bridge the superstructure may be separated from substructure columns. In another
sense, the term seismic isolation is more accurate anyway in that the structure is separated from the
effects of the earthquake. Base isolation bearings for an isolated structure mount between the
structure and its foundation. The isolation bearings permit relative transverse motion between the
structure and the ground while providing rigid support in the vertical direction. The flexibility between
the structure and the ground reduces structural response under seismic shaking.The way in which
base isolation system works by lengthening the fundamental time period of structure which reduces
the acceleration. A high proportion of the world is subjected to earthquakes and society expects that
structural engineers will design buildings so that they can survive the effects of these earthquakes.
Earthquakes occur in uncontrollable manner. Most importantly, earthquakes cause inertia forces
proportional to the product of the building mass and the earthquake ground accelerations. The lateral
movement of seismic isolated structure has been illustrated in Figs.1 and 2. As the ground
accelerations increases, the strength of the building, the capacity must be increased to avoid
structural damage. It is not practical to continue to increase the strength of the building indefinitely. In

_______________________________________________________________________________
1Assistant

Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology,141-142 Love
road, Tejgaon I/A, Dhaka 1208, Bangladesh. email: [email protected]
2Undergraduate Student, Department of Civil Engineering, Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology,141-142
Love road, Tejgaon I/A, Dhaka 1208, Bangladesh

Proceedings of 11th Global Engineering, Science and Technology Conference

18 - 19 December, 2015, BIAM Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh, ISBN: 978-1-922069-92-4
high seismic zones the accelerations causing forces in the building may exceed one or even two
times the acceleration due to gravity, g. Base isolation system attempts to reduce the demand rather
than increase the capacity. However, it is not possible to control the earthquake but it is possible to
modify the demand it makes on the structure by preventing the motions being transmitted from the
foundation into the structure above. Finally, it can be said that base isolation is the most powerful tool
of earthquake engineering. It is meant to enable a building to survive a potentially devastating seismic
impact through a proper initial design or subsequent modification.

2. Literature Review
One of the earliest in this regard is the patent by Jules Touaillon of San Francisco filed in the US
Patent Office in February 1870 (Buckle, 2000). It describes an earthquake proof building which is
seated of steel balls which roll inside shallow dishes. In 1891, a base-isolated structure was proposed
by Kawai after the Nobi Earthquake (Izumi, 1988). In 1909, a seismic isolation system was
proposed by Dr. Johannes Calantarients, an English medical doctor (Naeim and Kelly, 1999).). His
idea was utilized in construction of Imperial Hotel in Tokyo in 1921. The building was founded on an
8 ft. (2.44 m) thick layer of firm soil under which there is a 60-70 ft. (18.29-21.34 m) thick layer of mud.
The soft mud acted as isolation system and the building survived the devastating 1923 Tokyo
earthquake which was believed to have registered around 8.3 on the Richter scale (Ismail,
2010). After the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake, numbers of patents in Japan were submitted. For
instance, the proposal of double column with damper was proposed by Nakamura (Izumi, 1988). In
1927, Nakamura proposed a system which was consisted of several columns under the ground floor
slab with around 15 meters length to the depth of the soil under the structure and utilizing dampers
at the joint points of ground floor slab and these columns. In 1968, a building in Macedonia was
built on hard rubber blocks (Ismail, 2010). Soon after that, 1969 a primary school in Yugoslavia was
built on rubber bearings as a base isolation for strong earthquake (Izumi, 1988).
Fig.1: Lateral movement of conventional and base isolated structure

(a) Movement of Fixed based Frame

(b) Movement of Base isolated

Frame

Proceedings of 11th Global Engineering, Science and Technology Conference

18 - 19 December, 2015, BIAM Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh, ISBN: 978-1-922069-92-4
Fig.2: Principles of conventional and base isolated structure

(a) Conventional Structure

(b) Base isolatedStructure

3. Different types of base isolation Systems

For most bearing types, the plan size required increases as vertical load increases but the height (of
LRB and HDR bearings) or radius (of FPS bearings) is constant regardless of vertical load as all
bearings will be subjected to the same displacement. Therefore, the bearings can be sized according
to the vertical load they support. In practice, usually only a single size or two sizes are used for a
particular project. Different types of base isolators are explained in detail as follows.

3.1 Lead Rubber Bearing (LDRB)

The most common base isolation devices used over many years by engineers are lead-rubber bearing
isolators which combine isolation function and energy dissipation in a single compact unit. In this
approach, the building or structure is decoupled from the horizontal components of the earthquake
ground motion. The main function of the base lead-rubber bearing isolator is to extend the period of
structural vibration by increasing lateral flexibility in the frame structure, and thus ground accelerations
transferred into the superstructure can dramatically decrease. Such LRB isolator devices provide
vertical load support, horizontal flexibility, supplemental damping and centering force to the structure
from earthquake attack. In addition, they require minimal cost for installation and maintenance as
compared to other passive vibration control devices. The lead-rubber bearing isolator is composed of
an elastomeric bearing made by laminated rubber layers with steel shim plates, cover plates, and a
lead core located on its center which is shown in Fig. 3.

Proceedings of 11th Global Engineering, Science and Technology Conference

18 - 19 December, 2015, BIAM Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh, ISBN: 978-1-922069-92-4

Fig.3: Lead Rubber Bearing (LDRB)

A major advantage of the lead-rubber bearing is that it combines the functions of rigidity at service
load levels, flexibility at earthquake load levels and damping into a single compact unit. These
properties make the lead-rubber bearing the most common type of isolator used where high levels of
damping are required (in high seismic zones) or for structures where rigidity under services loads is
important (for example, bridges).
The Main Building in the Shimizu Corporations Institute of Technology located in Tokyo is a 6-story,
long-span, seismic isolated structure which utilizes a column-top seismic isolation (CTSI) system
[Nakamura et al. 2009]. The building uses a large-scale trussed cage structure, the upper part of
which is supported on six isolators on independent columns, creating an expansive area at ground
level, as shown in Fig.4. The seismic isolators are lead rubber bearings of 1,000mm or 1,100mm in
diameter, as shown in Fig.5.

Proceedings of 11th Global Engineering, Science and Technology Conference

18 - 19 December, 2015, BIAM Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh, ISBN: 978-1-922069-92-4
Fig.4: The main Building of Shimizu Corporations Institute of Technology,
Tokyo (Source: Nakamura,Y. et al., 2011)

.
Fig.5: Seismic isolators (lead rubber bearings) on top of first-floor pilotis in the main
Building of Shimizu Corporations Institute of Technology ,Tokyo.
(Source: Nakamura,Y. et al., 2011)

3.2 High Damping Rubber Bearing (HDRB)

The use of the base isolation, in particular with HDRB has proven, even in recent earthquakes, to be
a very efficient technique to protect structures from the earthquake. HDRB's consist of alternate layers
of rubber and steel plates bonded by vulcanization as shown in Fig.6 are for some aspects similar to
standard elastomeric bearings, being able to support vertical loads with limited or negligible deflection
and horizontal loads with large deflections. HDRB are normally much larger and in particular much
higher than standard elastomeric bearing. In HDRB the rubber compound presents damping
capability. Normally the equivalent viscous damping is a function of the displacement. The rubber
compound is designed in order to withstand very large shear deformations much larger than standard
elastomeric bearings. In HDRB the stiffness is much higher for small deformations and is reduced for
large deformation. This property is very useful because it allows the structure to respond rigidly to low
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Proceedings of 11th Global Engineering, Science and Technology Conference

18 - 19 December, 2015, BIAM Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh, ISBN: 978-1-922069-92-4
excitations like wind and provides high flexibility excitations like earthquakes. A new school located
in Bologna was erected on several HDRB and sliding dampers as shown in Fig. 7.
Fig.6: High Damping Rubber Bearing

Fig.7: The new school in Marzabotto (Bologna), in seismic zone 3, erected on

HDRBs and SDs. Its safety was certified by A. Martelli in September 2010.
(Source: Nakamura,Y. et al., 2011)

3.3 Friction Pendulum Sliding (FPS) Bearing

Friction Pendulum Sliding (FPS) Bearing is based on three aspects: an articulated friction slider, a
spherical concave sliding surface, and an enclosing cylinder for lateral displacement restraint (Zayas,
1990). The concept of sliding bearings is combined with the concept of a pendulum type response,
obtaining a conceptually interesting seismic isolation system known as a friction pendulum system
(FPS) as shown in Fig. 8. In FPS, the isolation is achieved by means of an articulated slider on
spherical, concave chrome surface.

Proceedings of 11th Global Engineering, Science and Technology Conference

18 - 19 December, 2015, BIAM Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh, ISBN: 978-1-922069-92-4
Fig.8 : Single Friction Pendulum Sliding (FPS) Bearing

(a) Single Pendulum bearing cross (b) Single pendulum motion maximum
section
credible earthquake
Fig.9: Triple Pendulum Bearing

(a) 3D view of Triple Pendulum Bearing

(b) Different stages of vibration of Triple Pendulum Bearing

(a)Single Pendulum Bearing
The Single Pendulum Bearing is the original Friction Pendulum bearing. The single slider maintains
the vertical load support at the center of the structural member. This offers construction cost
advantages if one structural system is weaker, either above or below the bearing.
(b)Triple Pendulum Bearing
The Triple Pendulum bearing incorporates three pendulums in one bearing, each with properties
selected to optimize the structures response for different earthquake strengths and frequencies.
Different stages of lateral movement of Triple pendulum bearing is schematically shown in Fig.9.

Proceedings of 11th Global Engineering, Science and Technology Conference

18 - 19 December, 2015, BIAM Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh, ISBN: 978-1-922069-92-4
3.4 Fluid Viscous Damper
Fluid dampers consist of a stainless steel piston with bronze orifice head. It is filled with silicone oil.
The piston head utilizes specially shaped passages which alter the flow of the damper fluid and thus
alter the resistance characteristics of the damper. Fluid dampers may be designed to behave as a
pure energy dissipater or a spring or as a combination of the two. If the liquid is viscous, these
dampers are called viscous dampers or fluid viscous dampers in which energy is absorbed by a
viscous fluid compressed by a piston in a cylinder. A fluid viscous damper resembles the common
shock absorber such as those found in automobiles. Base isolation dampers are significantly larger
than automotive dampers, and are constructed of stainless steel and other extremely durable
materials as required to furnish a life of at least 40 years. The damping fluid is silicone oil, which is
inert, non-flammable, non-toxic, and stable for extremely long periods of time. The seals in the viscous
damper are a patented high technology design based on aerospace fluid elements, and provide totally
leak free service. The damping action is provided by the flow of fluid across the piston head. The
piston head is made with a deliberate clearance between the inside of the cylinder and the outside of
the head, which forms an annular orifice. The fluid flows through this orifice at high speed as the
damper strokes. The shape of the piston head determines the damping characteristics. Some fluid
viscous damper are shown in Figs.10 through 12 in detail.
Fig.10 : Fluid Viscous Dampers used in Structures

Fig.11: Internal parts of Fluid Viscous Dampers

Proceedings of 11th Global Engineering, Science and Technology Conference

18 - 19 December, 2015, BIAM Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh, ISBN: 978-1-922069-92-4

Fig.12: External parts of Fluid Viscous Damper

3.5 Friction Dampers

Friction dampers use metal or other surfaces in friction and energy is absorbed by surfaces with
friction between them rubbing against each other. Typically a friction damper device consists of
several steel plates sliding against each other in opposite directions. The steel plates are separated
by shims of friction pad material as shown in Fig.13. The damper dissipates energy by means of
friction between the sliding surfaces. Friction dampers can be used in many applications including
moment-frames and in diagonal braces. This type of damper is also being developed for steel sliding
hinge frames.

Proceedings of 11th Global Engineering, Science and Technology Conference

18 - 19 December, 2015, BIAM Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh, ISBN: 978-1-922069-92-4
Fig.13: Possible arrangements of steel plates in friction dampers

3.6 Visco-elastic dampers

Another type of damper is visco-elastic dampers which stretch an elastomer in combination with metal
parts. In visco-elastic dampers, the energy is absorbed by utilizing controlled shearing of solids. The
latest friction-visco-elastic damper combines the advantages of pure frictional and visco-elastic
mechanisms of energy dissipation. This new product consists of friction pads and visco-elastic
polymer pads separated by steel plates. A pre-stressed bolt in combination with disk springs and
hardened washers is used for maintaining the required clamping force on the interfaces as in original
friction damping concept.

3.7 Partially Floating Seismic Isolation system

A partially floating seismic isolation (PFSI) system utilizes buoyant floatation forces to partially support
the gravity weight of the protected structure, along with high damping rubber bearings [Saruta et al.
2007]. In addition, the system utilizes a porous media attached to sides of the basin as a means of
damping the structural motion. The Wind Tunnel Testing Laboratory, shown in Figs 14 and 15, is the
first building to utilize the PFSI system. The basement, as shown in Fig.15, is of 2.3m draft, and half
of the weight of the structure is supported by buoyancy. The natural period of the seismic isolated
structure is designed to be 4.1 s.

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Proceedings of 11th Global Engineering, Science and Technology Conference

18 - 19 December, 2015, BIAM Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh, ISBN: 978-1-922069-92-4
Fig.14: The Wind Tunnel Testing Laboratory, Shimizu Corporations Institute of
Technology, Tokyo (Source: Nakamura,Y. et al., 2011)

Fig.15 : A cross section of and the structural system of the partially floating seismic
isolation system. (Source: Nakamura,Y. et al., 2011)

4. Discussion
4.1. The advantages of Seismic Isolation techniques
Seismic base isolation system may offer numerous benefits; some of them are given in detail
as follows:
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Proceedings of 11th Global Engineering, Science and Technology Conference

18 - 19 December, 2015, BIAM Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh, ISBN: 978-1-922069-92-4
1. Damage to indoor services and facilities would be of little concern which would normally
affect gas, water or swage leakage for unfortified structures. The base Isolation will
protect the structure by preventing plastic deformation of structural elements, because,
the super-structure demonstrates elastic behavior during initial and following excitation of
the base.
2. Secondary damage and injury as a result of falling furniture would be restricted. In the other
words, the level of safety is increased significantly when using base isolation system
rather than conventional systems.
3. The function of buildings can be ensured during an excitation or even after a major earthquake
as super-structure is designed to remain elastic. Therefore, plastic deformation of structural
elements can be prevented and the building is still a safe place to remain and life can
continue as normal.
4. Evacuation routes and corridors are normally secured in a base-isolated building after an
earthquake. So horror of earthquake can be eased and psychological burden is
alleviated.
5. Reduction in earthquake input forces, could lead to slender structural elements and
consequently the considerable reduction in the whole weight of structure, which gives the
noteworthy reduction in construction materials and construction costs.
6. Considerable safety improvements would reduce disaster management protocol for such
buildings during an earthquake and reduction of repair costs after an earthquake..

4.2 Response of Seismic isolated structures

Maximum acceleration responses of the two test buildings in Tohoku University subjected to the 2011
TohokuPacific Earthquake are shown in Figs. 16 and 17. In the seismic isolated building, the
observed accelerations on the roof were reduced to about half in the X-direction, and to about one
third in the Y -direction, respectively, compared to those in the adjacent conventional seismically
designed building. Figs. 18 and 19 show the observed acceleration waves in the test buildings. In Fig.
19, the observed acceleration wave on the roof of the seismic isolated building is expanded and
overlaid onto that of the conventional seismically designed building, clearly demonstrating the
differences in the earthquake responses of the two test buildings.

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Proceedings of 11th Global Engineering, Science and Technology Conference

18 - 19 December, 2015, BIAM Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh, ISBN: 978-1-922069-92-4
Fig.16:. Maximum responses of the test buildings in Tohoku University.
(Source: Nakamura,Y. et al., 2011)

Fig.17: Maximum Acceleration at different floor level of the two test buildings
(Source: Nakamura,Y. et al., 2011)

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Proceedings of 11th Global Engineering, Science and Technology Conference

18 - 19 December, 2015, BIAM Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh, ISBN: 978-1-922069-92-4
Fig.18. Observed acceleration waves in the conventional seismically designed
building (RF) and in the seismic isolated building (1st basement level and RF).
(Source: Nakamura,Y. et al., 2011)

Fig.19. Observed acceleration waves on the Roof Floor (RF) in the two test
buildings in Tohoku University. (Source: Nakamura,Y. et al., 2011)

4.3. Future Directions of Seismic Isolation System

It seems clear that,the increasing acceptance of base isolation throughout the world will lead to many
more applications of this technology. The most important area of future research is that of the longterm stability of the mechanical charecteristics of the isolator and its constituent materials.The long
term performance of isolators can best be developed from inspection & retesting of examples that
have been in service for many years. Many of the completed base-isolated buildings have
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Proceedings of 11th Global Engineering, Science and Technology Conference

18 - 19 December, 2015, BIAM Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh, ISBN: 978-1-922069-92-4
experienced earthquakes and so far their performance has been predicted.The earthquakes, if close,
have been small or have been moderate & distant so that the accelerations experienced have not
been larged. As more isolated buildings are already built in earthquake-prone regions of the world,
learning is anticipated more about the behavior of such structures and it will be possible to reduce the
degree of conservatism that is currently present in the design of these structures. It is clear that the
use of seismic isolation has finally achieved a level of acceptance that will ensure its continued use
and its further development. This new and radical approach to seismic design will be able to provide
safer buildings at little additional cost as compared to conventional design. Additionally,base isolation
will play a major role in the future in projects as diverse as advanced nuclear reactors & public housing
in developing countries.

5. Conclusion
The natural phenomena called earthquake is born by the movement of the tectonic plates that induce
shocks and impulse of devastating magnitude at the ground level transmitted through the earth. The
most logical method and effective protection from the overwhelming degree of acceleration induced
by an earthquake is through isolation of the life bearing structures from the transmitting medium. The
following conclusions can be drawn from the present study:
The fundamental period of the structure is increased when using a suitable base isolation system in
comparison to the fixed-base structure. The isolation efficiency increases as the earthquake intensity
increases. The effectiveness of a base-isolated system depends on the characteristics of the
input excitations as well as the properties of the isolation devices and superstructure. Hence, there is
an essential need to do a comprehensive initial study to investigate the efficiency of a
particular base-isolation system for a structure with respect to the seismic map of the area and
characteristics of the probable earthquakes.

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Dynamics, 2011, pp. 429447.

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Proceedings of 11th Global Engineering, Science and Technology Conference

18 - 19 December, 2015, BIAM Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh, ISBN: 978-1-922069-92-4
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