273

A T E N A C I O U S BASE I S O L A T I O N S Y S T E M
U S I N G R O U N D STEEL BARS
R.G. Tyler*

ABSTRACT

T h e t e n a c i t y o f r e i n f o r c i n g b a r s in r e s i s t i n g e a r t h q u a k e l o a d i n g ,
after concrete had spalled away around them, suggests that round bars
can be used to d i s s i p a t e e a r t h q u a k e e n e r g y in b a s e i s o l a t e d b u i l d i n g s ,
p r o v i d e d a b o w is i n t r o d u c e d in t h e b a r s t o a l l o w t h e m t o e x t e n d a s t h e
b u i l d i n g d e f l e c t s on its b e a r i n g s . D y n a m i c tests are d e s c r i b e d w h i c h
enable a design m e t h o d for such a system to be evolved. The method has
t h e a d v a n t a g e o f s i m p l i c i t y in t h a t r o u n d b a r s a v a i l a b l e i n n o r m a l
e n g i n e e r i n g p r a c t i c e c a n b e u t i l i s e d , w h i l e a t e n s i l e c a p a c i t y is
introduced b e t w e e n the s t r u c t u r e and the foundation w h i c h e n a b l e s the
s y s t e m to p r o g r e s s i v e l y lock up u n d e r d i s a s t e r c o n d i t i o n s .

INTRODUCTION Following the principles of base

isolation previously set out, for a h o r i z o n t a l
T h e t e n a c i t y o f r e i n f o r c i n g b a r s in d a m p i n g force p e r b a r , Q , as d e f i n e d by
d

resisting earthquake loading after the t h e b i l i n e a r loop for t h e b a r (Fig. 2 ) ,

concrete has spalled away around them has the sum of all such forces arising from all
b e e n d e m o n s t r a t e d in m a n y i n s t a n c e s o f t h e b a r s w o u l d b e d e s i g n e d t o a b o u t 5% o f
f a i l e d e l e m e n t s in b u i l d i n g s . F a i l u r e s in the building weight. A small amount of
c o l u m n s o f t h e t y p e s h o w n in P l a t e 1 s u g g e s t d a m p i n g is a l s o f o u n d in t h e l a m i n a t e d
t h a t i f t h e w e i g h t o f a b u i l d i n g is s u p p o r t e d rubber bearings(4) m

on l a m i n a t e d r u b b e r b e a r i n g s , as has a l r e a d y
b e e n p r o p o s e d for b a s e i s o l a t i o n m e t h o d s , The possible effects of movements
and w h i c h offers significant advantage for arising from concrete s h r i n k a g e in the
the s q u a t s h o r t - p e r i o d t y p e of b u i l d i n g ( 1 ' 2 , 3 horizontal plane on both the r u b b e r bearings
then bent round bars may perform a function and the bars cannot be ignored. The final
in s u p p l y i n g b o t h d a m p i n g a n d a t e n a c i o u s concreting of one end of the b a r s should be
connection between the foundation and the left as late as p o s s i b l e in t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n
base of the building. Such a design would a n d , at t h e s a m e t i m e , t h e r u b b e r b e a r i n g s
h a v e a n a d v a n t a g e in i t s s i m p l i c i t y . c o u l d be r e - p o s i t i o n e d if n e c e s s a r y by
j a c k i n g at e a c h b e a r i n g .
T e s t s w e r e c a r r i e d o u t at t h e P h y s i c s
a n d E n g i n e e r i n g L a b o r a t o r y w i t h a v i e w to DETAILS OF THE BARS TESTED
developing such a system. T h e r e s u l t s of
the t e s t s , and e x t r a p o l a t i o n s for design The s h a p e of t h e b a r s t e s t e d is s h o w n
p u r p o s e s , a r e g i v e n in t h i s p a p e r . in F i g . 3 a n d P l a t e s 2 a n d 3. For a
dimension L between the fixities a semi-
BASE ISOLATION METHOD c i r c u l a r l e n g t h o f r a d i u s L/4 p r o v i d e s f o r
a length change when the building moves
T h e m e t h o d p r o p o s e d is i l l u s t r a t e d in horizontally under earthquake attack. The
F i g . 1. Building columns are mounted on e x a c t s h a p e is p r o b a b l y n o t c r i t i c a l ,
r u b b e r b e a r i n g s and round steel bars having p r o v i d e d the bend w i l l allow for the
a s e m i - c i r c u l a r bent in t h e i r l e n g t h a r e length change.
c o n c r e t e d i n t o t h e f o u n d a t i o n s l a b , in t h e
same w a y as s t a r t e r b a r s , and, w i t h the F o r the tests L w a s 476 mm, w i t h a
r u b b e r b e a r i n g s in p o s i t i o n , t h e i r t o p s a r e variation of diameters of steel bar from
concreted into the lower floor slab or beam 12 m m to 38 m m t o e n s u r e a r a n g e o f s t r a i n
of t h e b u i l d i n g . A large number of smaller conditions. Fixity w a s p r o v i d e d by making
diameter bars operating over a short length the bar a p u s h fit in steel m o u n t i n g p l a t e s
or a small number of larger d i a m e t e r b a r s and w e l d i n g at the top and b o t t o m away
operating on a longer length will perform from the highly s t r a i n e d z o n e .
the same function for the chosen m o v e m e n t
related to the design earthquake, except The bars w e r e bent to shape after
that the shorter the bars the sooner a heating to a red heat. Bright steel bars
c o m p l e t e l o c k - u p is i n d u c e d a s t h e l e n g t h o f c o m m e r c i a l q u a l i t y w e r e u s e d (not f r e e
a v a i l a b l e f o r s t r a i g h t e n i n g is r e d u c e d . c u t t i n g ) , as t h e y w e r e r e a d i l y a v a i l a b l e ;
F o r r e a s o n s o f s y m m e t r y it w o u l d b e e x p e c t e d b l a c k steel b a r s to BS 4 3 6 0 / 4 3 A , h a v i n g the
that 5 0 % of the bars w o u l d be d i s t r i b u t e d same chemically composition, could equally
w i t h the b e n d s in a s i n g l e p l a n e s o m e w h a t well have been used. After bending the
a s s h o w n i n F i g . 1, a n d t h e r e m a i n i n g 5 0 % bars w e r e stress r e l i e v e d for 5 h o u r s at
i n t h e d i r e c t i o n at r i g h t a n g l e s . 620 C to r e s t o r e the y i e l d p o i n t . A more
complicated shape was tried involving a
* Physics and Engineering Laboratory, Depart- c o m p l e t e turn of s t e e l , as s h o w n in t h e
p h o t o g r a p h , ( P l a t e 3) b u t a l t h o u g h t h e
ment of Scientific and Industrial Research,
results were similar this shape was abandoned
Gracefield, Wellington.

B U L L E T I N OF THE NEW Z E A L A N D N A T I O N A L SOCIETY FOR E A R T H Q U A K E ENGINEERING, VOL. 11, NO. 4, D E C E M B E R 1978

274

b e c a u s e of t h e extra difficulty in
manufacture.
For small horizontal deflections the
bar b e h a v e s as a d o u b l e c a n t i l e v e r w i t h
plastic hinges developing at the top and
bottom fixities. If Q is t h e h o r i z o n t a l
shear force to generate this plasticity,
t h e n t h e p l a s t i c m o m e n t - Qji . Under
e x t r e m e h o r i z o n t a l d e f l e c t i o n s (Fig. 4 ) ,
the i n d u c e d l e n g t h c h a n g e g i v e s r i s e to a
f o r c e F. Evidently the bar will extend
when a plastic moment develops at the
centre = F L / 4 , i.e. for t h e chosen shape
F - 2 Q . F o r h o r i z o n t a l l o a d i n g in t h e
d i r e c t i o n at r i g h t a n g l e s to t h e b e n d ,
t o r s i o n d e v e l o p s a t i t s c e n t r e b u t t h i s is
not s u f f i c i e n t to cause y i e l d i n g p r i o r to
y i e l d d e v e l o p i n g at t h e f i x i t i e s .
It is e v i d e n t t h a t t h e b a r w i l l r e s i s t
uplift should this occur and could be used
at t h e c o r n e r s o f b u i l d i n g s t o a s s i s t i n
stability. The upward force F will
i n i t i a l l y r i s e to t h e v a l u e r e q u i r e d t o
c a u s e p l a s t i c i t y at t h e c e n t r e o f t h e b o w ,
b u t l a t e r , in t h e e v e n t o f s e v e r e u p l i f t ,
will be the tensile capacity of the bar.
The anchorage required will depend on the
condition the designer wishes to allow for.
TEST PROCEDURE
I n i t i a l t e s t s were c a r r i e d o u t u t i l i s i n g
the h o r i z o n t a l m o v e m e n t c o n t r o l l e d by a
steel plate sandwiched between rubber
bearings, following tests on these bearings
(4) . This gave reasonable fatigue lives for
25 m m a n d 3 8 m m b a r s , w h e r e u p o n a t r a v e l l i n g
p l a t f o r m w a s c o n n e c t e d to t h e test d r i v e ,
which enabled load-displacement hysteresis
loops to b e o b t a i n e d for t h e b e n t b a r on its
own, without the addition of the effects of
e l a s t i c i t y in t h e rubber b e a r i n g s . For all
t e s t s t h e stroke w a s a b o u t 1 5 0 m m a n d t h e
f r e q u e n c i e s o f l o a d i n g w e r e in t h e r a n g e
0.2 t o 0.9 H z . O t h e r t e s t s h a v e s h o w n t h a t ,
for s t e e l , t h e n u m b e r of c y c l e s to f a i l u r e
is n o t g r e a t l y i n f l u e n c e d b y t h e r a t e o f
loading. O n e o f t h e 25 m m b a r s w a s
instrumented with two pairs of strain gauges
( P l a t e 2) l o c a t e d a s n e a r a s p o s s i b l e t o
the f i x i t i e s . The strain range was recorded
s t a t i c a l l y w i t h the drive in e x t r e m e p o s i t i o n s .
Another bar w a s fitted with nylon inserts
a t t h e f i x i t i e s in a n a t t e m p t t o e x t e n d
its zone o f p l a s t i c y i e l d b u t t h e f a t i g u e
life w a s n o t i m p r o v e d (Table 1 ) .
RESULTS
A l l the b a r s failed at o n e or o t h e r
o f t h e f i x i t y p o i n t s ( P l a t e 3) w i t h h e a t i n g
u p a t t h o s e p o i n t s a n d little h e a t i n g e l s e -
where . Typical hysteresis loops obtained
i n t h e t e s t s a r e g i v e n i n F i g . 5. Bilinear
l o o p s w e r e s u p e r i m p o s e d in t h e e x p e r i m e n t a l
l o o p s a s i n d i c a t e d in t h e r e p r e s e n t a t i v e
loop Fig. 2. The forces Q d and Qmax were
scaled from t h e loops a n d a r e g i v e n in
T a b l e 1, t o g e t h e r w i t h t h e n u m b e r o f c y c l e s
5m
From t h e forces Qd the plastic stress
fp w a s c a l c u l a t e d u s i n g t h e a s s u m p t i o n m a d e
in s t a t i c d e s i g n , v i z t h a t , w i t h i n t h e
s e c t i o n fp h a s a c o n s t a n t v a l u e r i g h t up
to t h e n e u t r a l a x i s , t e n s i l e on o n e side a n d
compressive on the other.
Evidently f K
P
where K = the plastic modulus
.3
= 1 R for a round bar
3
and 476 mm for t h e tests
(1)
2K
T h e v a l u e o f fp i s s e e n t o i n c r e a s e a s
the size of t h e b a r , and c o n s e q u e n t l y t h e
s t r a i n le v e l , i n c r e a s e s ; u l t i m a t e l y it is
t h e v a l u e w h i c h is o b t a i n e d w h e n t h e r e i s
only o n e cycle to failure. T h e e f f e c t is
n o r m a l l y s h o w n u p in t e s t i n g b y i n c r e a s i n g
the c y c l ic s t r a i n p r o g r e s s i v e l y d u r i n g a
s i n g l e test, w h e n a family of l o o p s is
o b t a i n e d (Fig. 7 ) .
Values of f p were plotted against
strain range in F i g . 8 t o g e t h e r w i t h r e s u l t s
from other tests o n energy a b s o r b e r s . This
graph, although only approximate, enables
r e s u l t s to b e e x t r a p o l a t e d in d e t e r m i n i n g
dimensions for any size of energy absorber.
In the test w i t h strain g a u g e s , using
a 25.4 mm b a r , t h e strain ranges recorded
statically for the full 150 mm travel were
6.76, 5 . 8 2 , 6.02 a n d 6.73 p e r c e n t r e s p e c t i v e
g i v i n g a m e a n v a l u e of 6.33. S t r a i n v a l u e s
for o t h e r d i a m e t e r s w e r e e s t i m a t e d by t a k i n g
strain as p r o p o r t i o n a l to d i a m e t e r for t h e
fixed travel of t h e tests and a r e given in
T a b l e 1.
Values of number of cycles to failure
a r e p l o t t e d a g a i n s t s t r a i n r a n g e i n F i g . 9.
S u p e r i m p o s e d o n t h e g r a p h is t h e c u r v e
previously derived for the low-cycle fatigue
r e l a t i o n s h i p f o r m i l d s t e e l in b e n d i n g ^ .
The fatigue lives of the bent bars are seen
to b e a l i t t l e s h o r t e r t h a n t h e v a l u e s
indicated by this curve, probably because
the s t r a i n s w e r e n o t m e a s u r e d at t h e p o i n t
of failure at t h e face of t h e fixity.
EXTRAPOLATION OF RESULTS TO TYPICAL DESIGN
CONDITIONS
The test results m a y b e scaled to suit
any depth of crawl space b e t w e e n the lower
floor of a building and the foundation.
F o r t h e t e s t c o n d i t i o n s , a strain of 6.3%
was recorded for a length between fixities
o f 476 m m , a d i a m e t e r o f 2 5 . 4 mm a n d a
travel of 150 mm. For general values of
t h e s e q u a n t i t i e s , S, L , D a n d T r e s p e c t i v e l y ,
in mm, e v i d e n t l y :
= 0. 0 6 3 x ^ x ^ x T

25.4
S

to failure from the load-time curves. A 150

r e p r e s e n t a t i v e v a l u e f o r t h e s l o p e KA/Q^
(Fig. 2) w a s 1 / 0 . I T i . e . a b o u t 7 0 m ~ * f o r 3.75 DT/S mm (2)
T = 150 mm. Values for the m o r e important
s l o p e k^/Qc| a r e g i v e n i n T a b l e 1 a n d a r e In t h e g r a p h (Fig. 10) t h e l e n g t h s L
s h o w n p l o t t e d i n F i g . 6, t o g e t h e r w i t h are p l o t t e d for a range of b a r d i a m e t e r s D
values o b t a i n e d from tests on taper cantilver and strain ranges S for a stroke T of 150 mm,
dampers. A t a s t r a i n r a n g e o f 6% t h e m e a n this being an accepted design value for a
v a l u e of k ^ / Q ^ is seen to b e a p p r o x i m a t e l y moderate to severe earthquake.
 275

The load carried by a bar of or equivalent. For the present an approved

d i a m e t e r D a n d l e n g t h L, d e t e r m i n e d f r o m stress relieving technique should be carried
e q u a t i o n (2) , m a y b e o b t a i n e d b y u s e o f t h e out a f t e r b e n d i n g , p a r t i c u l a r l y if the b a r s
p l a s t i c s t r e s s fp o b t a i n e d from F i g . 8 for are bent cold. Later tests with accelerated
the design strain range. F r o m e q u a t i o n (1) a g e i n g m a y e s t a b l i s h t h a t s t r e s s r e l i e f is
not necessary for particular steels.
Q d
= 2 f
P
K
<>
3

L Tests already reported on a double

cantilever energy absorber, which had been
The design strain range itself depends s u b j e c t e d to s t r e s s r e l i e v i n g t r e a t m e n t ,
on the d e s i r e d n u m b e r of cycles to failure showed no sign of embrittlement during
(as g i v e n b y t h e g r a p h F i g . 9 ) . A l i f e o f intermittent testing over a period of two
100 cycles h a s , up to now, b e e n c o n s i d e r e d m o n t h s at a strain range of 2 % ( 7 ) e it is
a c c e p t a b l e , b u t m o r e r e s e a r c h n e e d s to be likely therefore that embrittlement will
d o n e o n t h i s t o p i c , p a r t i c u l a r l y a s t e s t i n g so not develop during the period of a single
far has been done in a single d i r e c t i o n for m a j o r e a r t h q u a k e and its a f t e r - s h o c k s . If
a single v a l u e of s t r o k e , w h e r e a s an e a r t h - tests do not eliminate the p o s s i b i l i t y of
q u a k e will m o v e the building in any h o r i z o n t a l a s l o w d e v e l o p m e n t a f t e r w a r d s it i s
direction with a variety of magnitudes of suggested that for buildings in higher risk
stroke. areas expanded polystyrene plugs be left
in the c o n c r e t e in o r d e r to e n a b l e a d u p l i c a t e
In c a l c u l a t i n g the e f f e c t of this b a s e set of b a r s to be fitted at a l a t e r d a t e ,
i s o l a t i o n m e t h o d o n a s t r u c t u r e i t is if n e c e s s a r y . Alternatively, stress relief
suggested that the values of and of o v e r s t r a i n e d bars m a y be c a r r i e d out
in-situ by means of induction coils fitted
^ d / Q d for the b i l i n e a r loop be t a k e n as
temporarily around the bars.
70 m ~ l a n d 5 m"" r e s p e c t i v e l y w i t h a d j u s t m e n t s
1

t o k ^ / Q ^ d e p e n d i n g o n t h e s t r a i n l e v e l (Fig.
6) . The problem of the age-embrittlement
of s t e e l is not c o n f i n e d to t h e u s e of b a r s
T h e n e a r e r t h e s t e e l is w o r k e d t o in a b a s e i s o l a t i o n s y s t e m , a s n o r m a l r e i n -
f a i l u r e the l e s s e x p e n s i v e the s y s t e m in t h a t forcing bars are usually bent cold over
quite sharp radii during the normal
t h e w e i g h t o f s t e e l is r e d u c e d . On the
construction process and may t h e r e f o r e be
other hand, the permissible strain range may
e m b r i t t l e d for m o s t o f t h e i r l i f e in the
a l s o d e p e n d o n the d e f l e c t i o n at first y i e l d
building.
of t h e b a r s , as n o r m a l w i n d s t o r m s s h o u l d not
carry the bars into yield.
In a d d i t i o n , their m o d e in the d u c t i l e
Following normal elastic design, the bars d i s s i p a t i o n o f e n e r g y at t h e j o i n t s o f a
w i l l b e g i n to y i e l d a t a h o r i z o n t a l l o a d conventional structural frame, when strain
Q !
(Fig. 2} s u c h t h a t r a n g e s u p to a b o u t 2 % m a y b e i n d u c e d , m a y
cause brittleness following a major earth-
quake .
^ = f Z (4)
2 y
It m a y b e a r g u e d t h a t r e c t i f i a b l e
i.e. Q' = 2 f z/ d a m a g e in a b a s e i s o l a t i o n s y s t e m is
y L
p r e f e r a b l e to s e v e r e s t r u c t u r a l d a m a g e , and
where F = yield stress obtained by static p o s s i b l e e m b r i t t l e m e n t of the s t e e l , in a
^ t e s t in t e n s i o n conventionally designed building, where the
steel cannot be replaced.
2
CONCLUSIONS
= 275 MN/m approx
T h e u s e of b o w e d s t e e l b a r s in c o n j u n c t i o n
Z = section modulus = IT D ^ / 3 2
w i t h r u b b e r b e a r i n g s in a b a s e i s o l a t i o n
The associated deflection A prior to yield system offers a simple means of dissipation
is g i v e n by of e a r t h q u a k e e n e r g y in t h a t r o u n d b a r s
a v a i l a b l e in n o r m a l e n g i n e e r i n g p r a c t i c e , can
A = Q'L 3
/ 12EI (5) b e u t i l i s e d ; a t e n s i l e c a p a c i t y is i n t r o d u c e d
between the structure and the f o u n d a t i o n w h i c h
where E = Young's modulus c a u s e s the s y s t e m to p r o g r e s s i v e l y lock u p
u n d e r d i s a s t e r c o n d i t i o n s as d e f l e c t i o n s
= 200 GN/m 2

increase.

I = second moment of area REFERENCES

- D /64
4

1. S k i n n e r , R . I . , B e c k , J. L . a n d B y c r o f t ,
The load on the b u i l d i n g to c a u s e first G . N . , "A P r a c t i c a l S y s t e m f o r I s o l a t i n g
y i e l d of t h e b a r s is o b t a i n e d b y a d d i n g the Structures from Earthquake Attack".
l o a d i n t h e r u b b e r b e a r i n g s to t h e v a l u e o f E a r t h q . E n g . a n d S t r u c t . D y n . 3,
Q' f o r t h e d e f l e c t i o n A . P297-309, 1975.
2. P r i e s t l e y , M . J. N . , C r o s b i e , R . L . a n d
POSSIBILITY OF EMBRITTLEMENT C a r r , A . J., " S e i s m i c F o r c e s in B a s e -
Isolated Masonry Structures". Bull.
In view of the cases of age-embrittlement N . Z . N a t . S o c . E a r t h q . E n g . 1 0 , N o . 2,
of r e i n f o r c i n g b a r s that have b e e n reported June, 1977.
in t h e l i t e r a t u r e ( 6 ) m a i n l y in s h a r p b e n d s in
f
3. L e e , D . M . a n d M e d l a n d I. C . , " B a s e
t h e c r i m p e d t y p e o f b a r , it is s u g g e s t e d t h a t Isolation for Earthquake Protection
only p l a i n round b a r s be employed for this of M u l t i - S t o r e y Shear S t r u c t u r e s " .
a p p l i c a t i o n , u s i n g s t e e l of k n o w n ductility, P r o c . of t h e S i x t h A u s t . C o n f . M e c h .
h a v i n g a chemical composition to BS 4360/43A Str. and M a t . , C h r i s t c h u r c h , A u g u s t 1 9 7 7 .
276

4. T y l e r , R. G., " D y n a m i c T e s t s o n From the graph, Fig. 9 the strain range

Laminated Rubber Bearings". Bull.N.Z. Nat. a s s o c i a t e d w i t h a l i f e o f 80 c y c l e s is a b o u t
S o c . f o r E a r t h q . E n g . 1 0 , N o . 3, 6%. The diameter f bar associated with
Q

September, 1977. t h i s s t r a i n is a b o u t 0.13 m e t r e s (Fig. 10)

5. T y l e r , R. G., " T h e D e s i g n o f S t e e l for L = 1 . 1 m. T h i s d i a m e t e r is o u t s i d e t h e
Taper Cantilever Energy Absorbers". range o f t h e g r a p h (Fig. 11) g i v i n g t h e Q d

(To b e P u b l i s h e d . ) v a l u e , b u t f r o m e q u a t i o n (3) Q 3 = 2 8 7 k N f o r
6. E r a s m u s , L. A. and P u s s e g o d a , L. N . , fp = 3 7 0 M N / m , a s s o c i a t e d w i t h a s t r a i n
2

"Strain A g e Embrittlement of Reinforcing r a n g e o f 6% (Fig. 8 ) .

Steels". N . Z . E n g i n e e r i n g , 32 , N o . 8 ,
August 1978. T h i s is a n e x c e s s i v e s h e a r l o a d t o b e
7 T y l e r , R. G., " T e s t i n g o f D a m p e r s f o r t h e c o n c e n t r a t e d at a s i n g l e p o i n t a n d o n l y a b o u t
Base Isolation of a Proposed 4-Storey one bar would be required per 3 bearings
Building Against Earthquake Attack", f o r t h e r e q u i r e d s h e a r l o a d o f 2 0 0 0 x 0.05
P r o c . of the S i x t h A u s t . C o n f . M e c h . = 1 0 0 kN p e r b e a r i n g .
Str. and Mat. , Christchurch, Aug. 1977.
I f t h e b a r s i z e is r e d u c e d to 7 5 m m t h e n
Paper received 3 October, 1978. t h e s t r a i n r a n g e w i l l b e 3 . 5 % (Fig. 10 a n d
e q u a t i o n 2 ) , f o r w h i c h t h e l o a d Q is 3 3 kN
APPENDIX (Fig. 11 a n d e q u a t i o n 4 ) , w h e n f = 255 M N / m ,
p

a s s o c i a t e d w i t h t h e s t r a i n r a n g e o f 3% (Fig.
Design Example 8). This would give about 3 bars per bearing.

In a s c h e m e for b a s e i s o l a t i o n u s i n g
l a m i n a t e d r u b b e r b e a r i n g s it is d e s i r e d t o
fit r o u n d b a r s o v e r a c r a w l s p a c e d e p t h o f
1.1m.
T h e d e s i r e d l i f e is 80 c y c l e s a t a n
a m p l i t u d e o f t 75 m m f o r u n i a x i a l h o r i z o n t a l
l o a d i n g d u r i n g a m o d e r a t e to severe e a r t h q u a k e .
T h e b u i l d i n g is p r o v i d e d w i t h s t o p s
a l l o w i n g ± 150 mm of m o v e m e n t u n d e r d i s a s t e r
conditions.
It is r e q u i r e d to f i n d t h e s i z e a n d n u m b e r
of b a r s . T h e l o a d p e r b e a r i n g is 2 , 0 0 0 k N .
F o r t h i s s i z e o f b a r t h e d e f l e c t i o n at
f i r s t y i e l d , f o r a w i n d a g e c h e c k , is 7 . 1 5 m m
at a l o a d Q o f 2 1 k N .
T h e n u m b e r o f c y c l e s t o f a i l u r e is a b o u t
2 5 0 a t 3 . 5 % s t r a i n a n d a b o u t 80 at d o u b l e t h i s
v a l u e w h e n the b u i l d i n g d e f l e c t s to the s t o p s .
U s e o f t h e c u r v e s i n d i c a t e s t h a t , if t h e
d e p t h o f t h e c r a w l s p a c e is r e d u c e d l o c a l l y ,
s m a l l e r d i a m e t e r s of bar could b e used,
although the number would need to be increased
to p r o v i d e the r e q u i r e d d a m p i n g f o r c e .

TABLE 1

R E S U L T S OF T E S T S

N.B. R e s u l t s in c h r o n o l o g i c a l o r d e r . Applied deformation in

plane of bend unless otherwise stated.

Bar Stroke fp Cycles Qmax-Qa Estimated Remarks

Qd ^raax k
d/Q.
Dia. (mm) (kN) (MPa) to Qd -l d Strain
(kN)
mm failure (m ) ±
Range
(%)
%

25.4 146 - 70 - 6.3

38.1 145 - 35
- - 9.5
25.4 146 - 40 - - 6.3 Nylon inserts
at fixities
25.4 150 4. 56 396 180 6.82 49.6 6.6 6.3 T e s t at 9 0 ° to
p l a n e of bend

11.9 150 - 290 - 3.2

15.9 150 - 296 - 3.9

-
19.1 146 127
- 4.7
22. 2 152 1.63 265 100 2.10 28.6 3.8 5.5
25.4 150 4.23 369 60 5. 51 30.3 4.0 6.3*
25.4 148 4. 83 421 6.57 36.0 4.8 6.3 T e s t at 4 5 ° t o
plane of bend.
Weld fractured
a f t e r 10 c y c l e s .
25.4 150 5.17 451 66 5. 73 10.7 1.4 6.3 Bar with a
complete turn
at its c e n t r e .

31.8 149 9. 88 441 65 13.16 33.2 4.4 7.9

38.1 147 18.54 463 40 2 2 . 11 19.3 2.6 9.5

* Measured strain value; other values taken as p r o p o r t i o n a l to diameter.

 277

PLATE 3: A SELECTION OF FRACTURED BARS

278
 1 s 1-P-
1^—
b -h —
i- u
L- t
~:r f
:
i:
! c

4 in
..„_
-H—t— -1-« A.
i .j ... 1- , 4J----1-,
....
1 -J -[ •

—I
-i
1 ....
-1- 1
—i? , 4 |i -4 [..__
S3SE IBIi

HI™*"
-f
tilliw !••
is
m\
sill T-
-I--4-

1 !_ -
-H- 4
--f-
tr •1-

(a) S t r a i n gauge test (b) M o v e m e n t a t right angles

t o p l a n e of bend

(c) M o v e m e n t a t 4 5 ° to (d) M o v e m e n t for b a r w i t h

p l a n e of b e n d c o m p l e t e t u r n at c e n t r e
( See p l a t e 3 >

F I G U R E 5a: L O A D - D E F O R M A T I O N L O O P S FOR 2 5 m m BARS FIGURE 5b: L O A D - D E F O R M A T I O N L O O P S FOR V A R I O U S BAR SIZES

CD
280

25

Kty:

"T 20,
1

X St®? iir liftcft

15

10.

0 2 4 6 I 10
Strain Rongi ( Ptok to ptak) % fete I §Usln f§ttgt>

F I G U R E 6: S T I F F N E S K d / Q d RELATED
I f f e d ' S t r a i n hy§t«r»sit> Cyclic Lepd-SJfain
TO S T R A I N ' w p t f a r d i f f # r * n * slffljR

F I G U R E 7: F A M I L Y OF S T R E S S
S T R A I N H Y S T E R E S I S LOOPS

flongt of ttroln < % )

F I G U R E 8: PLASTIC Y I E L D S T R E S S f,
R E L A T E D TO S T R A I N L E V E L
F I G U R E 11: F O R C E Qd R E L A T E D TO
D I A M E T E R OF B A R A N D S T R A I N
L E V E L FOR + 7 5 m m D E F L E C T I O N