Study of the effect of installing seismic isolators at higher elevations in moment frame structures

Abstract

A seismic isolator is a helpful technology to protect structures from seismic hazards that threaten building structures. Seismic isolators increase the structure's natural period, thereby reducing the seismic response that occurs in the structure. Seismic isolators are generally installed at the base of the structure. However, in this study, the installation will be simulated at a higher elevation. The study purpose is to investigate the effect of installation seismic isolators in different level. The case study is a ten stories structures with four models. Model 1 is fixed without a base isolator, model 2 has an isolator on the ground floor, model 3 has an isolator on the third floor, and model 4 has an isolator on the fifth floor. The results show that structures with seismic isolators have longer natural periods than structures without isolators. The installation of seismic isolators on the lower floor produces higher natural period than installation at higher levels. In addition, due to the influence of the overturning moment, variations in the placement of the seismic isolator on the higher level can reduce the tensile strength up to 68.58%. Furthermore, the use of seismic isolators will increase the performance level of the structure.