2024 Volume 16 Issue 2 Pages 72-80
The study aims to develop a new method to estimate the horizontal stiffness of seismic isolation layers in a low-cost and easy way. To properly predict the behavior of seismic isolation buildings, the horizontal stiffness of the seismic isolation layer must be known accurately. However, the horizontal stiffness of the seismic isolation layer of an existing seismic isolation building may differ from that of the design due to age-related deterioration, temperature history, and other factors. Many of the existing estimation methods require time and economic costs. Therefore, in this estimation method, a seismic building response simulation is first performed using seismic acceleration waveforms observed by accelerometers during moderate seismic motion as input. Next, the relationship between the horizontal stiffness and the maximum displacement of the seismic isolation layer is calculated. Finally, the horizontal stiffness of the seismic isolation layer is estimated by comparing the maximum displacement of the seismic isolation layer observed by a scratch plate during an earthquake with the obtained relationship. In this study, the conditions to apply the proposed estimation method are clarified through numerical experiments.
