Basic Concept of Base Isolation

System for Buildings

Dr. Taiki SAITO
Japan Society of Seismic Isolation
Chief Research Engineer,
Building Research Institute, Japan
Email: tsaito@kenken.go.jp

Contents
Introduction
Basic Idea of BI system

Design procedure of BI building

Response spectrum method
Time history analysis
Ultimate capacity of isolators

International activity of JSSI

Basic Idea of BI system

Isolation from ground

By Magnetic force?

By balloon?

Introduction
Seismic isolation

Friction

Stopper
Rolling?

Sliding?

Introduction
Restoring position?

Sliding?

Introduction
Restoring system

By spring?

By sliding on a
curved plate?

Introduction
Gravity Force and Inertia Force
Resisting Force

T = 2

m
k

(m: mass, k: stiffness)

Effective for heavy building

T = 2

L
g

(L: curvature, g: gravity acceleration)

Effective for light building

Introduction
Damping system
T
d0
d0

With Damper

time

Damper

Introduction
Requirement of BI devices
1. Isolating the building from the ground
2. Supporting the weight of building

3. Damping of response amplitude

4. Restoring the original position after an earthquake

Rubber Block

Introduction

Rocking
Weight of
building

Isolators
Rubber bearing

Large axial deformation

Laminated Rubber
Weight of
building
Rubber

Earthquake
Load

Steel
Stiff

Soft

High damping rubber

Reinforcing steel plate
Cover rubber

2
2

500
400
300
200
100
0
-100
-200
-300
-400
-500
-300

Shear stress (N/mm )

Force (kN)

Flange plate

-200

-100

100

200

300

1
0
-1
-2

Displacement (mm)

Natural Rubber Bearing

(NRB)

-3

-2

-1

High-damping Rubber
Bearing (HRB)

800
600
Force (kN)

400
200
0
-200
-400
-600
-800
-300

Lead Rubber Bearing

(LRB)

-200

-100

100

200

300

Displacement (mm)

Sliding bearing
Force (kN)

Introduction
Isolators

50
40
30
20
10
0
-10
-20
-30
-40
-50
-150

-100

-50

50

100

150

Displacement (mm)

Curved plane
sliding bearing

Sliding bearing or Roller bearing

200
150
Force (kN)

100
50
0
-50
-100
-150
-200
-400 -300 -200 -100

100 200 300 400

Displacement (mm)

Linear Rail

Rail roller bearing

12

Linear Block
Rubber Shim
Flange Plate

CLB2000F (P =19 6MN)

-6
P/P =0 98

-12
-600

-300

0
mm

300

600

Introduction

Cast Lead

Steel Flange Plate

Dampers
Lead damper
Stud

Steel Flange Plate

Steel Damper Rod

Steel damper
(kN)
800

F = 1150 (kNs/m) V

600

0.38

400
200
0
-200
-400
-600
-800
-20

-15

-10

-5

10

15

20 (cm)

Viscous damper

Introduction
Response of BI building

STERA 3D

Introduction
Response of BI system
X

Upper structure
(rigid mass)
Base Isolation level
(spring)

Y"

Introduction
Response of BI system
Vibration model

Equilibrium of forces

Equation of motion
M X + CX + Ke X = - MY

- m(X"+Y")

X + 2hX + 2 X = - Y
= (2/T) = (Ke/M)

Q=keX
c X'

X
Y

T: natural period
h : damping factor

Y"

X
X

Numerical integration

Introduction
Effect of natural period

Y: JMA-Kobe NS component
h = 0.05
T longer
Acceleration smaller

T longer
Displacement larger

Introduction
Response spectrum
X

Response of
SDOF system
with natural
period of T &
viscous damping
of h

Time history of acceleration

T longer
Acceleration smaller

Response spectrum of acceleration for

JMA Kobe-NS wave, h=0.05

Introduction
JMA Kobe-NS wave

Effect of damping

Acceleration response spectrum

Introduction

Displacement response spectrum

Reduction of applied
lateral forces to super
structure

Increase of displacement
response of isolated story

10

Contents
Introduction
Idea of BI system

Design procedure of BI building

Response spectrum method
Time history analysis
Ultimate capacity of isolators

International activity of JSSI

Design procedure of BI building

Statistics
Number of buildings
350
300
250

Private house

200
150
100

Apartment building

50

1995 The Great HanshinAwaji Earthquake Disaster

19
87
19
88
19
89
19
90
19
91
19
92
19
93
19
94
19
95
19
96
19
97
19
98
19
99
20
00
20
01
20
02

19
83
19
84
19
85
19
86

2000 Revision of
Building Standard Law

11

Design procedure of BI building

Building Standard Law, Japan
NO

Need for Structural Calculation?

1 or 2 story wooden house

1 story S or RC building

YES
Height>60m

YES

Specification code
NO

Time History Analysis

Response Spectrum Method

Reviewed by
special committee

Reviewed by local government official

Design procedure of BI building

Response Spectrum Method
Design earthquake is defined as the response spectrum at the bedrock level.
1500

cm/s2

Hard soil
Medium soil
Soft soil

1000

Engineering Bedrock

500

0
0

Soil amplification
1500

cm/s2

5% damping
1000

Bedrock

500

Vs > 400 cm/sec

s

0
0

12

Design procedure of BI building

Response Spectrum Method
Building is modeled by SDOF nonlinear hysteresis system.
Upper structure
(elastic range)
Base Isolation level
(inelastic range)
Force

Drift

Design procedure of BI building

Response Spectrum Method
Responses are obtained by equivalent linearization.
Response evaluation
Upper structure
(elastic range)

cm/s2

1500

h=0.05

1000

Base Isolation level

(inelastic range)

500

he

0
0

Equivalent linear system

Nonlinear system
Force

Te

Acceleration response

Force

Ke

cm

100

h=0.05

80
60

Drift

Drift
he
Ke: equivalent stiffness
he : equivalent damping

40

he

20
0
0

Te

s
5

Displacement response

13

Design procedure of BI building

Time History Analysis
Artificial earthquake compatible with design spectrum
1500

cm/s2

cm/s
400

5% damping

200

1000

Bedrock

500

-200
-400
0

0
0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Three different
phase models

Historical earthquake scaled to have the max. velocity 50cm/s

2

cm/s
600
400
200
0
-200
-400
-600

Earthquake response is obtained

by time history analysis
(numerical integration method)
using design earthquake ground
motions.

20

40

60

80

100

120

El Centro1940NS,
Taft 1952EW,
Hachinohe1968EW,
etc.

Site specific artificial earthquake

2

cm/s
1000
500

0
-500
-1000
0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Wave generation
from the nearest
Fault, etc.

Design procedure of BI building

Time History Analysis
800

2,860 600
600

Building is modeled by MDOF nonlinear hysteresis system.

Responses are obtained by numerical integration method.
RFL

RFL

Living

10F

Kitchen

10FL

9FL

9FL
29,99

8FL
7FL

7FL

6FL

6FL

5FL

4FL

5FL

3FL

2,860

4FL
2FL

3,550

30,79

8FL

Isolator

Isolator

3FL

Isolator

1FL
GL

2FL
6,800
960
Y1

Y2

Sway

Rocking

2,700

6,000

950

15,500
Y3

14

Design procedure of BI building

Confirmation of ultimate limit state
a. Allowable deformation of isolation device
b. Compressive and tensile load of isolator
c. Isolation gap (horizontal and vertical)
Example. LRB

Isolation gap

Compression stress (N/mm2)

Diameter: 800mm
Rubber sheet: 5.1mm
Number of sheets: 33
Rubber height: 168mm

Design criteria
21N/mm2
Design criteria
240%168 = 403mm =
Shear strain (%)

Design procedure of BI building

Ultimate capacity of isolators

Ultimate Compression Test

Ultimate Shear Test

(from Prof. Nishi, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan)

15

Design procedure of BI building

Architectural planning
9 Isolators must support superstructure without losing supporting
capacity of vertical loads subjected to fires expected to happen in or
in the vicinity of isolation interface.
9 Piping and wiring must have flexible joints and slacks between
superstructure and substructure, so as to follow the displacement at
isolation interface during earthquakes.
9 It must be planned that entrances, connecting bridges, stairs,
elevators and etc. do not pound to other facilities or injure humans.
9 Information panels, which show that the building is seismically
isolated and deforms largely during earthquakes, must be set up on
noticeable place in the building.

Design procedure of BI building

Maintenance
Designer must draw up maintenance plans and inform owners, managers
and others so that seismic isolation keep demanded performance during
the buildings lifetime.
9 Large relative displacement at isolation interface occurs during strong
earthquake. Thus, obstacles in or in the vicinity of isolation interface
spoil efficient seismic performances.
9 Some isolation devices deteriorate by aging. Aged deteriorations must be
considered by heat accelerated tests and others at design stage.
9 Rubber bearings creep subjected to long term loads. Unexpected creeps
and external damages must be found out by regular examinations.
9 Breaks, water leakage and others may happen when piping and wiring
have insufficient deformation capacities.

16

Contents
Introduction
Idea of BI system

Design procedure of BI building

Response spectrum method
Time history analysis
Ultimate capacity of isolators, etc.

International activity of JSSI

International Activity of JSSI

CIB/W114
As one of the working
commissions in CIB
(International Council for
Research and Innovation
in Building and
Construction), W114:
Earthquake Engineering
and Buildings has been
established since
November 2006 .
Headquarter: JSSI
Coordinator: Taiki SAITO

http://www.cibw114.net/

17

International Activity of JSSI

CIB/W114
The first CIB/W114 meeting, "International Workshop on Response Control and Seismic
Isolation of Buildings," was held in Guangzhou, China on 27 November 2006.

International Activity of JSSI

CIB/TG44 book
published in November 2006

Contents
1.
2.

Introduction
Devices for Seismic Isolation
and Response Control
3. A Comparative Study of
Seismic Isolation Code
Worldwide
4. Observed Response of
Seismically Isolated Buildings
5. World Report
5.1 China
5.2 Italy
5.3 Japan
5.4 Korea
5.5 New Zealand
5.6 Taiwan
5.7 The United of America
6. Conclusions

18

China

from Dr. Zhou Fulin adn Dr. Wen Liuhan

Around 600 base isolation buildings have been constructed. The

one was constructed in 1991.

35 base isolation buildings are constructed on the two-story reinforced concrete

platform of subway station in Beijing, China.

Base isolators at the large span structure of the

Shanghai F1 circuit.

Italy

Miniature building models

for shaking table test

from Mauro Dolce, Massimo Forni and Alessandro Martelli

60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1981 1986 1991 1996

2001 2006

19

Korea

from Dong Guen Lee

Currently, there are

only two seismically
isolated buildings in
Korea, with a third to
be built soon.
The Unison Research
and Development
Center building,
constructed in 1997,
was the first
seismically-isolated
building.

Korea

from Dong Guen Lee

The second was

Traum Hous III, a 12story apartment
building in Seoul

20

New Zealand

from John X. Zhao

The first seismically

isolated structure in
New Zealand was the
Motu Bridge in the
North Island
completed in 1974.

Rocking Seismic Isolation System

The isolation mechanism is provided by
stepping action of each of the two feet
of the piers. Steel dampers are used for
energy dissipation.

USA

from Ian Aiken and Andrew Whitaker

Construction of the first seismically-isolated building in the

USA was completed in 1985, and by mid-2005 there were
approximately 80 seismically-isolated buildings in the USA
The first building in the
USA is the Foothill
Communities Law &
Justice Center, in Rancho
Cucamonga, California,
was completed in
1985,with 98 highdamping rubber bearings
located below the
basement level

21

USA

from Ian Aiken and Andrew Whitaker

The second building

application in the USA
was the City and County
Building, in Salt Lake
City, Utah, completed in
1989 with 208 lead-rubber
and 239 natural rubber
bearings.
This project was the first
in the world to use
isolation for retrofit,
completed in 1989.

USA

from Ian Aiken and Andrew Whitaker

The USC University Hospital in
Los Angeles, completed in 1991,
was the first hospital in the world to
use seismic isolation with 68 leadrubber isolators and 81 naturalrubber isolators.

Roof
6th

4th

Lower
Foundation

The 1994 Northridge earthquake

22

Macedonia

from Garevski A. Mihai and James M. Kelly

Primary School Pestalozzi" in Skopje, the first structure in the world

base isolated by means of rubber bearings constructed in 1969

Thank you for your attention.

23