Introduction

Numerous existing structures and infrastructures in earthquake-prone regions world-wide were built
without seismic details; hence they possess high seismic vulnerability. Modern communities should
be resilient to minimize the earthquake-induced losses and provide rapid response in the aftermath
of extreme natural events; thus lifelines should be assessed reliably and retrofitted adequately,
where necessary. A very basic problem in the earthquake design of low- to medium-rise
buildings is that their fundamental frequency of vibration is in the range of frequencies
where earthquake energy is strongest. This means that the building acts as an amplifier of
the ground vibrations and the accelerations experienced at each floor level increase to the
top. This also causes stresses in the frame and inter-story drifts which may result in damage
to the columns between floors. The amplified accelerations at each floor act on the contents
and occupants of the floor and can cause severe damage to these contents even when no
damage occurs to the structure itself
Seismic base isolation is an alternative strategy for protecting structures from earthquake damage.
In this technique, a structure is decoupled from earthquake ground motion by ensuring that the
fundamental time period of the structure lies in a zone of response spectrum characterized by low
energy content. (T > 1.5 s). This results in appreciable reduction in seismic response in terms of
forces but not so much in terms of displacement. The concept of isolation is sound and is well
proven in past one and half decades, numerous buildings and bridges are constructed on this
concept.

Brief History

The review of base isolation studies in India is given in a paper (Thakkar,1993). The seismic
base isolation technique has been effectively used for new design and retrofit of existing
bridges in New Zealand (Robinson, 1993). The most common form of isolation system uses
lead-rubber bearings installed between superstructure and supporting piers. This form of
isolation has the merit of combining isolation and energy dissipation in a single unit. The
energy dissipation is achieved by yielding of lead plug under earthquake loading.

Seismic isolation has been used for protection of bridge structures and retrofitting in Italy
(Parducci,1993). Elasto-plastic dissipating devices are used for energy dissipation. Because
of greater transversal strength of piers, the seismic isolation in bridges is often required only
in longitudinal direction. This is more so for single span structures where unidirectional
devices are employed. Seismic isolation has gained acceptance for design and retrofit of
bridges in low and moderate seismic zones in U.S.A. (Mayes, 1993). Two possible design
philosophies are included in AASHTO Specification. The first is to take advantage of the
reduced seismic forces and provide most economical bridge design. The second design
option is to provide a bridge with much better seismic performance characteristics than that
of a conventional design. In China rubber bearings and roller as isolator has been used as
isolation system for bridges and buildings (Zhou, 1993).
Brief review

SEISMIC ISOLATION BEARINGS

Seismic isolation is a technology that

protects the structure from the destructive
effects of an earthquake. The seismic
isolation bearings decouples the structure
from the ground and provides it with
damping. This decoupling allows the building
to behave more flexibly which improves its
response to an earthquake. The added
damping allows the earthquake energy to be
absorbed by the isolation systems and
therefore reduces the energy transferred to
the structure. Seismic isolation is physically achieved by placing the structure on isolators.
The isolators are laterally flexible elements, yet they are able to carry the vertical loads of
the stucture. Since the isolators are more flexible than the structure, most of the lateral
movements occur in the isolators. As a result the isolated structure experiences less motion
and reduced forces.

The relative displacement of ground and the structure is zero for a perfectly rigid, zero
period structure, since the acceleration induced in the structure is same as that of
ground motion. Whereas in an ideal flexible structure, there is no acceleration induced in
the structure, thus relative displacement of the structure will be equal to the ground
displacement.

No Structure is perfectly rigid or flexible, therefore, the response of the structure will be
between the two explained above. Maximum acceleration and displacements are a
function of earthquake for periods between zero to infinity. During earthquakes there will
be a range of periods at which acceleration in the building will be amplified beyond
maximum ground acceleration, though relative displacements may not exceed peak
ground displacements. Base isolation is the ideal method to cater this, by reducing the
transfer of motion, the displacement of building is controlled.

Displacement occurs at CG of the structures for fixed base structures, which will be
approx. two-third height for buildings and at isolation plane for base isolated structures
with lesser displacement within the structure. The response of a base isolated structure
and a structure without base isolation can be illustrated as shown in the figure below.
The displacement and acceleration is controlled by base isolation.
Seismic isolation provides superior performance compared to a traditional structural design.
It reduces the forces and displacements in the structure by up to 75%. The isolation system
accomplishes this by deforming laterally during the earthquake. After the earthquake this
results in a functional structure with little or no damage.

How does isolation provide cost savings?

In bridges, the foundation design is based on elastic forces. Isolation reduces elastic forces
by up to 75%; this translates into direct cost savings in the foundation.
In buildings, Isolation provides cost savings over the life of the structure. An isolated
building will be essentially undamaged in an earthquake. By comparison a conventional
buildings structure and contents will be damaged. The occupants will also experience
interruption of their businesses sometimes for weeks or even months.
Performance of Seismic Isolation Bearings
The USC Hospital was isolated using Dynamic Isolation Systems isolators. The building
remained operational throughout the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. There was no damage to
the USC Hospital. In contrast the Los Angeles County Medical Center located less than a mile
away suffered $400 million of damage and was not operational after the earthquake.
The Stanford Linear Accelerator in Palo Alto California was unscathed by the 1989 Loma
Prieta earthquake. Elsewhere on campus damage was reported to be approximately $160
million.
The Eel River Bridge in Humboldt County, California, was isolated using DIS isolators in
1988. It experienced accelerations of 0.55g in the 1992 Petrolia Earthquake. The bridge
displaced 9 inches laterally and sustained no damage.
Basic requirements of an isolation system are

1. Flexibility
2. Damping
3. Resistance to Vertical or other service loads.

The increased period is achieved via a flexible support which provides reduction in the stiffness
of the sub and superstructure. However there is a trade-off between decreased acceleration and
increased displacement when a system is seismically isolated as shown in graph. However the
increased displacement can be controlled by increasing the damping.

Response of base isolated & non-isolated structure

Type of Base Isolation Systems

Well, what kind of mechanism can achieve this, resisting the gravitational pull of earth?
A lubricated sliding surface? Or a strong magnetic levitation? These might sound right
but are not the right engineering solution. It should be a system which is capable of
restraining the structure under strong gust of winds and gravitational pull. Though an
ideal solution is yet to be discovered or invented, there are a few practical isolation
mechanisms which are widely used in the field of earthquake engineering. Which means
that these systems are capable of reducing the seismic demand of the structure.

Major types of Isolators are

Elastomeric Rubber Bearings

Bearings formed of horizontal layers of

synthetic or natural rubber in thin layers
bound between steel plates. These
bearings are capable of supporting high
vertical loads with very small
deformations. These bearings are
flexible under lateral loads. Steel plates
prevent the rubber layers from bulging.
Lead cores are provided to increase
damping capacity as plain elastomeric bearings does not provide significant damping.
They are usually soft in horizontal direction and hard in vertical direction.

Roller and Ball Bearings

For isolation applications in machinery isolation,

roller and ball bearing are used. It includes
cylindrical rollers and balls. It is sufficient to resist
service movements and damping depending on the
material used.

Springs

Steel springs are most likely used in mechanical

applications as in roller bearings. It is not adopted in
structural applications because it is flexible in both
vertical and horizontal directions. This will increase
service deflections.

Sliding Bearing

Sliding systems with a predefined coefficient of

friction can provide isolation by limiting acceleration
and forces that are transferred. Sliders are capable
of providing resistance under service conditions,
flexibility and force-displacements by sliding
movement. Shaped or spherical sliders are often
preferred over flat sliding systems because of their
restoring effect. Flat sliders provide no restoring
force and there are possibilities of displacement with aftershocks
Case -1

BEHAVIOR OF A BASE-ISOLATED BUILDING AT FUKUSHIMA DAI-ICHI NUCLEAR POWER

PLANT DURING THE GREAT EAST JAPAN EARTHQUAKE

OUTLINE OF THE BASE-ISOLATED IMPORTANT BUILDING

The exterior and the outline of the building are shown in Picture 1 and in Table 1,
respectively. Base-isolation system consists of 4 Laminated rubber bearings (LRBs) at
corners, 10 Natural rubber bearings (NRBs) at perimeter, 31 sliding bearings and 16 oil
dampers. Sliding bearings are employed to obtain longer natural period since the 2 story
building brings relatively small axial force on each bearing. Oil dampers are provided to
avoid excessive displacement. Figure 1 shows the arrangement of base-isolation devices. For
the Base-isolated Important Building at Fukushima Dai-Ichi NPP, 7 input motions are
employed as design ground motion, 3 spectrum compatible artificial ground motions (1.5
times specified by Building Law), 3 standard observation records, 1 Design Basis Ground
Motion (780 Gal at base) used for the seismic design of reactor facilities.

SIMULATION ANALYSIS
Simulation of observed record was carried out with the oscillation model employed in the design of
Base-isolated Important Building. The upper structure was modeled as lumped-mass model with 3
masses as shown in Fig.
Comparison of data from observed and simulated model
Conclusion
Based on the experience of the Niigataken Chuetsu-oki Earthquake in 2007 at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa
NPP site, the Base-isolated Important Building for emergency response was constructed in
Fukushima Dai-Ichi NPP site in March, 2010. As the earthquake observation at the Base-isolated
Important Building of Fukushima Dai-Ichi NPP had only begun from February 21, 2011 to examine
the performance of base-isolation, valuable data by the Great East Japan Earthquake could only be
collected for 20 days after starting observation. By examining the observation records and
conducting simulation analysis, it was confirmed that the Base-isolated Important Building
possessed sufficient base-isolation performance for the horizontal motion and that the seismic
design of the building was adequate. For these reasons, the building suffered no damage from the
Great East Japan Earthquake and demonstrated satisfactory performance as an Emergency
Headquarter

CASE STUDY: 2
HIGHWAY BRIDGE AT INTERCHANGE A40/A73 IN QUEBEC The seismic isolation of bridges in cold
climates is illustrated by the recent retrofitting of seismic isolation bearings to an existing highway
bridge, at the A40/A73 interchange, in Quebec, Canada (Fig. ). Guided LRBs were selected to support
the entire bridge superstructure in normal service and to protect the structure during an earthquake
by isolating it from the destructive movements of the ground beneath. The LRBs thus ensure the
constant serviceability of the structure, even after the occurrence of a strong earthquake, facilitating
the passage of emergency vehicles and contributing to the safety of the population. The bridge has a
two-span superstructure with concrete girders, with spans of 36m and 42m.
Design of the LRB
The LRBs (see Fig. ) are of the
guided type, with steel fittings
preventing all transverse
movements. Each LRB has a
vertical load capacity of
approximately 3,250 kN primarily
to serve its primary purpose of
supporting the deck under normal
service conditions. Due to the
structures location, the LRBs were
designed for temperatures as high as
40C (104F) and as low as -30C.

In addition to these severe temperature conditions, the LRBs also had to be designed to fulfill the
following requirements
Facilitate movements of up to 111 mm in the longitudinal direction

Prevent movements in the transverse direction

Provide damping of up to 30%

Dissipate hysteretic energy up to 58 kNm per cycle

Ensure re-centering following an earthquake

Increase the period of the deck of the bridge to more than 1.7 seconds

Transmit horizontal loads of up to 414 kN at an ambient temperature of 20C (68F)

Transmit horizontal loads of up to 530 kN at a low temperature of -30C (-22F)

These demands presented a significant challenge for design and manufacture especially in
relation to low temperature performance. The bearings were designed to provide optimal
performance at 20C and to minimize variations in dynamic characteristics at very low
temperatures. Considering the sensitivity of rubber to low temperatures, this was very difficult
to achieve. However, after a detailed analysis of the effects of temperature on the rubber and
the lead, and evaluation of the overall performance of the devices during extensive full-scale
testing (as described below), it was possible to develop an optimal solution according to
Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code CAN/CSA-S6. This solution included design of a new
rubber mixture based on an extensive development program which included testing of a
number of rubber samples and resulted in an adapted LRB design considering all conditions.
Test results at Room Temperature of 20C (68F) after 72 hours of exposure.

Test results at Low Temperature of -30C (-22F) after 72 hours of exposure.

CONCLUSIONS
Lead rubber bearings, which are widely used to seismically isolate highway bridge structures,
display a significant vulnerability to low temperatures (e.g. -30 C) unless designed and
fabricated for such conditions. In particular, their design should ensure that they display only
minor variations in their effective stiffness at such temperatures. As in the case study presented,
this may require the development of a new rubber mixture, the modification of the general
design of the isolators, and verification of low-temperature performance by means of extensive
full-scale prototype testing.