Prepared by:

S.Megha
M.tech:Structural Engineering
1st year-1st sem

BASE
ISOLATION

Base isolation

Base isolation, also known as seismic base isolation or

base isolation system, is one of the most popular means
of protecting a structure against earthquake forces. It is a
collection of structural elements which should substantially
decouple a superstructure from its substructure resting on a
shaking ground thus protecting a building or non-building
structure's integrity. Base isolation is one of the most
powerful tools of earthquake engineering pertaining to the
passive structural vibration control technologies. It is meant
to enable a building or non-building structure to survive a
potentially devastating seismic impact through a proper
initial design or subsequent modifications. In some cases,
application of base isolation can raise both a structure's
seismic performance and its seismic sustainability
considerably. Contrary to popular belief base isolation does
not make a building earthquake proof.

Conventional Construction Practice

assumes Fixed Base Structures

The Dynamic Characteristics of Fixed Base

Structures are determined by the general
characteristics of the structural system
The Designer can only slightly adjust those Dynamic
Characteristics
As a matter of fact, most common Building
Structures have unfavorable Dynamic Characteristics
that result in increased Seismic Response

Earthquake Performance of Fixed

Base Structures

Conventional Fixed Base Structures can not be

realistically designed to remain elastic in large
seismic events (more so in regions of high
seismicity)
Common practice is to design them so that they
experience damage in a controlled manner and have
large inelastic displacements potential

Unconventional Earthquake
Protective Systems
Earthquake Protective Systems

Passive Protective Systems

Hybrid Protective Systems
Active Protective Systems
Tuned Mass Damper Active Isolation Active Mass Damping
Energy DissipationSemi-Active Isolation Active Bracing
Base IsolationSemi-Active Mass Damping
Adaptive Control
Base Isolation is the most common System

Principle of Base Isolation System

Base Isolation System is like a

Suspension System of Motorcar
Soft spring + Oil Damper
Laminated rubber bearingDamper
7

How exactly does Base Isolation

Work?

Isolators have large deformation

potential allowing for large drift on
the Isolation Interface
Most types of Isolators exhibit
nonlinear behavior

Lengthening of the Structures Period and increased Damping that result

in a large scale decrease of the Seismic Response

Significantly Increase the

Period of the Structure and the
Damping so that the Response
is Significantly Reduced

Response

Fixed Base

Period

Base Isolated

Base Isolation in Buildings

Original Structure

Isolated Structure

Isolation at foundation level

Base Isolation in Buildings

Isolator Components Between the Foundation and Superstructure

An Isolation Interface is formed

Base Isolation in Buildings

Response of Base Isolated Buildings

versus Fixed Base Response

Reduced
Superstructure
Deformations
for Base
Isolated
Structure

Drift on Isolation Interface

Most Common Types of Isolation

Components (Isolators)

Elastomeric Isolator
Slider
Rotating Ball Bearing
Damper Steel Damper
- Lead Damper
- Oil Damper

Elastomeric Isolator
It consists of steel and rubber, it made of sandwiches
of soft rubber sheets and hard steel plates . It works
as a bearing to sustain the weight of the building and
is able to move the building laterally. Soft rubber
reduces the building vibration to slow shaking, and
hard steel plate contributes to sustain the weight of
building

Slider:
The slider has a coating of PTFE and a stainless
steel plate finished with smooth surface. It works as
bearing to sustain the weight of the building and is
able to move the building laterally on the surface of
the plate with a certain amount of friction.

Slider
Superstructure

Foundation

Rotating Ball Bearing:

It consists of ball bearings with retainers and rails or
plates. It works as a bearing to sustain the weight of
the building and is able to move the building laterally
without friction.

Damper:
Usually for a damper is used to suppress
vibration.
Mainly three types of dampers are used as
follow
- Steel Damper
- Lead Damper
- Oil Damper

Steel damper:
It utilizes the elasto-plasticity property of steel. The
hysteretic loop contributes to energy dissipation.
There are two types of steel dampers, one is square
in section and other is round in section of the rods .

Lead damper:
The hysteretic loop contributes to energy
dissipation. There are two types of lead dampers,
one has a round section and a curved shape and
other has a cylindrical plug in core of the
elastomeric isolator.

Oil damper
It utilizes the viscous property of fluid. Oil or
silicon are used as the fluid. Viscous resistance
contributes to energy dissipation. Oil damper is a
cylindrical shape.

Oakland City Hall

First high-rise
government office
building in the United
States
Tallest Building on the
West Coast at the time
of its construction in
1914 -324 feet tall
Riveted Steel Frame
with infill masonry walls
of brick, granite and
terracotta
Continuous Reinforced

Oakland City Hall

Building was severely damaged during the
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
Building is listed on the historic register
Retrofit had to preserve the interior
architecture and the historic fabric of the
building
Both conventional fixed-base and base
isolation retrofit concepts were studied
The most economical and effective method
was determined to be base isolation

Oakland City Hall

Critical Construction Issues:
Temporary lateral bracing during construction
period to safeguard against possible earthquake
occurrence
Symmetric work sequence was important to
reduce the possibility of torsional response in
the event of an earthquake
Vertical column displacement during jacking
was limited to around 0.10 inches to prevent
damage to superstructure finishes

Oakland City Hall

Earthquake Response

Isolation
System:
111 rubber
isolation
bearings
36 of them with
lead cores

Fixed Base

Base Isolated

San Francisco City Hall

Built in 1915
Today recognized
as one of the most
notable examples
of classical
architecture in the
U.S.
Nearly 300 feet
tall
Steel Frame with
concrete slabs
Spread interior
footings Strip
perimeter
foundation

San Francisco City Hall

The original design of the building incorporates a
soft story approach at the main floor, intended to
dissipate energy
This alongside other discontinuities in the
structural system make the dynamic
characteristics of the building unfavorable
The Building was severely damaged during the
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake

San Francisco City Hall

Four Retrofit Strategies were considered
Base Isolation
Fixed Base / Concrete Shear Walls
Fixed Base / Steel Braced Frames
Fixed Base / Steel Moment Frames
Flexible Story

San Francisco City Hall

San Francisco City Hall

San Francisco City Hall

Based on the results of the
analysis, the Base Isolation Scheme
was selected as best meeting the
retrofit objectives and providing the
most favorable performance for the
least relative cost
Base Isolation is considered a particularly effective strategy
when applied to massive (and rather stiff) structures

THANK YOU