Stability of Elastomeric Isolators:

Critical Load Tests and Computations

By Satish Nagarajaiah and Ian Buckle
One of the most common seismic isolators in use today is the elastomeric bearing. The
combination of rubber layers and reinforcing steel shims gives a device that is axially very stiff
but soft laterally. Flexibility may be increased, and large period shifts achieved, simply by
increasing the number and/or thickness of the rubber layers. But increasing the shear flexibility
of these short columns can lead to relatively low buckling loads, which may be further reduced
when high shear strains are simultaneously imposed. As a consequence, many design procedures
require the axial load rating of a bearing to be reduced as the shear displacement increases (e.g.,
AASHTO 1999). These reductions are based on engineering judgment and very little science.
For example, for a rectangular bearing of width B, the critical load Pcr, at shear
displacement , is approximated by
Pcr = Pcro [1 - /B]
where Pcro is the critical load at zero shear displacement. With such an expression, the axial load
capacity becomes zero at a displacement = B.
Experimental work undertaken by Buckle and Liu (1994) showed that this approach was
very conservative at high shear strain, and that substantial axial load capacity remained even at
displacements equal to the width of the bearing. The purpose of this present study is to validate a
new theoretical model developed to numerically study the buckling of elastomeric bearings at
high shear strains. To do so, the method explicitly includes large displacements in the
formulation of the critical limit state and allows post-buckling phenomena to be studied
(Nagarajaiah and Ferrell, 1999)
In the experimental work previously reported (Buckle and Liu, 1994), a total of twelve
bearings were tested. Nine of the square bearings were five inches by five inches (127 mm x 127
mm) in plan. Three of the square bearings were ten inches by ten inches (254 mm x 254mm) in
plan. Bearing properties are shown in Table 1. All bearings had bolted connections at the top
and bottom to prevent overturning. The rubber shear modulus, G, was estimated to be 0.2 ksi
(1.38 MPa) at 0 % shear strain and 0.136 ksi (0.938 MPa) at 100% shear strain (Nagarajaiah et
al. 1999). The steel shim thickness was varied in order to maintain the same overall height. All
bearings tested had one-inch (25.4 mm) thick end plates. The elastomeric bearings were tested
using the uniaxial single bearing test facility at the Earthquake Engineering Research Center at
the University of California at Berkeley (see Koh and Kelly, 1986).

page 1

MCEER Bulletin, Vol. 16, No.1, Spring/Summer 2002

Table 1. Five- and 10-Inch Elastomeric Bearing Details

Bearings Tested

Nominal Size
B x B x H *
(In. x In. x In.)

No. of
Rubber
Layers

Thickness
of Rubber
Layers
(Inch)

Thickness
of Steel
Shim
(Inch)

Shape
Factor

101,102,103
201,202,203
301,302,303
401
501
601

5 x 5 x 4.375
5 x 5 x 4.375
5 x 5 x 4.385
10 x 10 x 4.375
10 x 10 x 4.375
10 x 10 x 4.385

3
4
8
3
4
8

0.75
0.50
0.25
0.75
0.50
0.25

0.0625
0.1250
0.0550
0.0625
0.1250
0.0550

1.67
2.50
5.00
3.33
5.00
10.00

* B = Width of the Square Bearing, B = Breadth; H = Height of the Bearing

The axial load - horizontal displacement, P-u, variation is shown in Fig. 1 as a function of
shear force for bearing 302. The equilibrium path, a smooth curve passing through discrete
points, shown in Fig. 1 at each shear force level, passes through a limit point, which is the critical
load. In Fig. 1 the equilibrium paths are unstable past the limit point (Nagarajaiah et al. 1999);
hence, the critical load must decrease with increasing horizontal displacement. The critical load,
Pcr , obtained from Fig. 1 and normalized with respect to critical load at zero displacement, is
shown in Fig. 2, as a function of horizontal displacement normalized with respect to the width of
the bearing, B. In Fig. 2(a) it is evident that significant reduction in Pcr occurs at horizontal
displacements equal to the width of the bearing, B. The results from the nonlinear analytical
model developed by Nagarajaiah et al. (1999) are also shown in Figs. 2(a) and 2(b) for the 300
and 500 series bearings. The critical load variation for bearing series 500, shown in Fig. 2(b),
decreases with increasing horizontal displacement; however, the decrease in Pcr is not as
significant as in bearing 302.

Bearing 302: Experimental

100

Axial Load: P (kip)

80

F = 0.5

60
F = 1.0
F = 1.5
F = 2.0
F = 2.5
F = 3.0
20 F = 3.5
40

0
0

2
3
4
5
Horizontal Displacement: u (in)

Fig. 1. Axial LoadHorizontal Displacement

Variation as a Function of Shear, F

page 2

MCEER Bulletin, Vol. 16, No.1, Spring/Summer 2002

The stability of the elastomeric bearings is studied, using the ADINA finite element
program. The Mooney-Rivlin material model suited for rubber undergoing large strains was
adopted. The stability of the bearings was determined by the following procedure involving
equilibrium paths (Nagarajaiah et al. 1999). The bearings were first deformed in shear to a
predetermined shear displacement by means of a constant shear force. Then additional shear
displacements were monitored as the axial load, in the form of vertical pressure at the top surface
of the bearing, was monotonically increased up to the limit point of the equilibrium path. The
equilibrium path past the limit point could not be traced as the incremental solution failed. The
critical load is the axial load at the limit point of each equilibrium path (Nagarajaiah et al. 1999).
This procedure was repeated for increasing values of initial shear displacement; the
corresponding critical load horizontal displacement values were obtained.
500 Series Bearings

300 Series Bearings

0.8
0.6

o
..
*

Experimental
Analytical
Approximate
ADINA

0.4
0.2
0
0

0.5
1
Horizontal Displacement: u/B

2 (a)

1
Critical Load: Pcr/Pcro

Critical Load: Pcr/Pcro

0.8
0.6

- Analytical
.. Approximate
o ADINA

0.4
0.2
0
0

0.5
1
Horizontal Displacement: u/B

2 (b)

Fig.2 (a) and (b): Critical load as a Function of Horizontal Displacement

The variation of normalized critical load as a function of normalized horizontal

displacement computed using the ADINA finite element program and experimental results are
presented in Figs. 2(a) and 2(b), for 300 and 500 series bearings, respectively. The comparison in
Figs. 2(a) and 2(b) indicate good agreement for both 5 inch (127 mm) and 10 inch (254 mm)
bearings with different shape factors. The reduction in critical load with increasing horizontal
displacement is captured in both the analytical model results and the ADINA results. The
comparisons indicate that the effect of large horizontal displacements on the critical load can be
reliably predicted. It is worth noting that a two-degree of freedom nonlinear analytical model
(Nagarajaiah et al. 1999) can capture the complex nonlinear behavior adequately as compared to
the finite element model. It is evident from the results in Figs. 2(a) and 2(b) that substantial
critical load capacity exists at a horizontal displacement equal to the width of the bearing and is
not zero, as predicted by the corrector factors used in design to account for large shear
displacements. These factors are not conservative at smaller displacements and overly
conservative at larger displacements. For further details refer to Buckle et al. (2002) and
Nagarajaiah et al. (1999).

page 3

MCEER Bulletin, Vol. 16, No.1, Spring/Summer 2002

Conclusions
A substantial reserve of axial load capacity exists in elastomeric bearings even when
displaced in shear to a distance equal to the width of the bearing. This capacity may be
demonstrated experimentally and theoretically using a new analytical model, which captures the
complex nonlinearities that occur in elastomeric bearings at high shear strain.
Acknowledgements
This project was funded under Federal Highway Administration Contract Number
DTFH61-92-C-00106, which, in part, is studying the use of earthquake protective systems for the
seismic retrofitting of highway bridges.
References
AASHTO (1999) Guide specifications for seismic isolation design, American Association of
State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington DC, 76 pp.
Buckle, I.G. and Kelly, J.M., (1986). Properties of Slender Elastomeric Isolation Bearings
During Shake Table Studies of a Large-Scale Model Bridge Deck, Joint Sealing and Bearing
Systems for Concrete Structures (ACI), Vol. 1, 247-269.
Buckle, I.G. and Liu, H., (1994). Experimental Determination of Critical Loads of Elastomeric
Isolators at High Shear Strain, NCEER Bulletin, Vol. 8, No 3, 1-5.
Buckle, I. G., Nagarajaiah, S., and Ferrell, K. (2002). "Stability of elastomeric isolation bearings:
Experimental study," Journal of Structural Engineering, ASCE, Vol. 128, No. 1.
Koh, C.G. and Kelly, J.M. (1986). Effects of Axial load on Elastomeric Bearings, UCB/EERC
- 86/12, Earthquake Engineering Research Center, University of California, Berkeley.
Nagarajaiah, S., and Ferrell, K. (1999). Stability of elastomeric seismic isolation bearings,
Journal of Structural Engineering, ASCE, Vol. 125, No 9, 946-954.

page 4

MCEER Bulletin, Vol. 16, No.1, Spring/Summer 2002