Analytical and Experimental Analysis of Base Isolated Structure with Hybrid Spherical Roller (HSR)

A new seismic isolation bearing is designed and modernized for improving the performance of structures during seismic forces. This new bearing uses hybrid spherical rollers (HSR) on the concave sloping surface to achieve isolation with additional shock absorbing sandwich plates surrounded by them to increase the damping of the structure. The bearing is characterized by a self-centred capability. Each roller is free to displace under 3-translational and 3-rotational directions hence, it is capable of reducing the seismic response and prevents the structure from transmitting the destructive surface wave. The objective of this research is to understand the seismic behaviour through analytical and experimental investigation on a model using a linear harmonic shake table to verify its dynamic characteristics. The results are discussed to show that there is a possibility of improving the efficiency of base isolation using the HSR isolator during strong earthquakes where the majority of base isolation techniques do not perform well.