Abstract
The seismic response of rack warehouses is known to be reduced by horizontal sliding of the warehouse contents, which act as mass dampers. However, in past earthquakes business continuity has been interrupted due to damage from spilling, toppling or falling contents. In this paper, response control using seismic isolation is investigated. Because the total rack weight is constantly changing and the rack is often loaded at large eccentricities, Spherical Sliding Bearings (SSB) are proposed, which exhibit natural periods independent of the supported weight. Based on numerical and experimental test results undertaken previously, an analytical model is proposed including pressure and velocity dependent friction values. Using the proposed model, the performance of a seismically isolated rack warehouse with variable weight and eccentricity is studied and compared with conventional rubber bearings.
