Experimental and Numerical Studies on Thick Rubber Bearings under Uniaxial and Offset Tensile Loading

Thick rubber bearings (TRBs) have been proven to be effective in mitigating horizontal shaking induced by earthquakes as well as railway-induced vertical vibration. During earthquake excitations, TRBs might be subjected to tension, which should be carefully assessed during design. This paper presents experimental and numerical studies on the behavior of TRBs under tensile loading. Four full-scale thick natural rubber bearing (TNRB) and lead …