Abstract

The design of curved surface sliders hides some pitfalls that can affect the effectiveness of the isolation system, as pointed out by past theoretical and experimental studies. In this paper, the basic relationships of curved surface sliders are rewritten, defining a characteristic parameter. This relates the design parameters, i.e., the friction coefficient, the equivalent radius, and the seismic displacement, with each other but depends on the damping ratio only. As is well known, a high value of friction could prevent the onset of motion. The self-centering capacity depends on the equivalent radius. Finally, the seismic displacement affects the dimensions and, therefore, the material consumption and the required gap. The design procedure proposed here is organized in two main phases. In the first one, the feasibility of a base isolation system, consistent with the fixed building seismic capacity and maximum displacement, is analyzed. An admissible area, i.e., the couples of values of the effective period and damping ratio, is individualized on the acceleration–displacement (capacity) spectrum plane. To do that, the outcomes of a previous study are used. In the second phase, the iso-R and iso-m curves are plotted in this area. These allow a suitable choice of the design parameters and, therefore, a performance-oriented design. A flowchart summarizes the method. Finally, some examples show practical applications and allow the verification of the effectiveness of the proposed procedure.

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