Assessment of the vertical stiffness of elastomeric bearing due to displacement and rotation

The vertical stiffness of elastomeric bearing is a dominant parameter of the base isolation design. Several empirical relations have been used to calculate the vertical stiffness of the elastomeric bearing systems, although, in certain conditions such as the presence of rotation, these relations are not accurate enough. In this paper, by using a nonlinear finite element program, the effect of rotation on the vertical stiffness investigated. It was observed that the vertical stiffness of the isolator could be increased or decreased depending on the amount of rotation and the value of lateral displacement limit.