Comparison of Earthquake Simulator Test Results with the SEAONC Tentative Seismic Isolation Design Requirements

Earthquake simulator tests were performed on a 1/5-scale, 6-story reinforced concrete shear-wall structure and a 1/4-scale, 9-story braced steel frame structure. The structures were supported by five different base isolation systems which consisted of various types and combinations of elastomeric bearings. The main objective of this study was to compare the peak experimental displacements of the base isolation systems tested with values given by the tentative base isolation design provisions proposed by the Seismology Committee of the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC). Comparisons of experimental results and values from the SEAONC base isolation design formula for displacements indicated that the formula is generally conservative, even for predominantly low frequency earthquake motions, provided the ground motion coefficient A _v (based on the effective peak velocity as defined by ATC 3-06) is used in the design equation for base-isolated structures with periods greater than 1 second.