Shaking Table Tests of a Building Isolated With Trench Friction Pendulum System

Abstract

It has been proven that the seismic isolation technology is a very promising tool to lessen damage caused by earthquakes. In order to provide a cheap and efficient base isolator for engineering practice, a new isolator named the trench friction pendulum system (TFPS), which is easy to design and manufacture, is proposed in this study. A series of shaking table tests of a scaled steel structure equipped with TFPS isolators were performed in the Department of Civil Engineering, Feng Chia University, Taichung, Taiwan. Experimental results demonstrate that the TFPS isolator can isolate most of earthquake induced energy trying to impart into the superstructure and that the device is not only cheap but also efficient for seismic mitigation.