A low-cost bonded scrap tire rubber isolator in rural regions: Experimental, numerical and theoretical analysis on mechanical behavior

• Published in: Journal of Building Engineering 2024-10, Vol.94, p.110018, Article 110018
• Main Authors: Wang, Mingyang, Lu, Xilin, Shi, Weixing, Zhang, Guangtai
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bonded scrap tire rubber isolator; Low-cost isolator; Mechanical behavior; Recycled tires; Rural construction; Seismic performance; Stability analysis
• ISSN: 2352-7102; 2352-7102
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jobe.2024.110018

The utilization of low-cost scrap tire pads (STP) made from recycled tires presents a promising alternative to traditional rubber isolators (i.e., fiber-reinforced elastomeric isolators) in rural construction. However, the STP was limited in application to practicing structures due to stability with a shear strain level of 100 % and the significant variability of the mechanical behavior at the same parameters. For these issues, this paper presents a bonded scrap tire rubber isolators (BSTRIs), based on earthquake demand parameters for rural area buildings. In addition, a series of vertical compression and horizontal shear tests were conducted to evaluate the dependency of mechanical behavior on surface pressure (σ0), the first and the second shape factor (S1 and S2). Then, a finite element (FE) model of BSTRIs was developed and validated. The experimental and FE results show that the σ0, S1, and S2 overwhelmingly effect on mechanical behavior (i.e., critical pressure, vertical stiffness, horizontal stiffness, and damping ratio). Moreover, the new theoretical formulations on critical pressure, vertical stiffness, and horizontal stiffness were developed to evaluate the stability of BSTRIs. Finally, based on experimental result, a nonlinear dynamic response was conducted including the BSTRIs-supported and based-fixed unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings under 22 far-field and 28 near-field seismic excitations. The results indicated that the base shear of the BSTRIs-supported URM were decreased by 66.5 % and 50.1 % in far- and near-field record, respectively, compared with the response of the fixed-base URM building. •A new bonded scrap tire rubber isolators (BSTRIs) using recycled tires was designed and manufactured.•Vertical compression and horizontal shear tests on BSTRIs to evaluate the mechanical behavior.•Considering the hysteresis stress-strain effect of tire rubber material, the FE model of BSTRIs was developed and validated.•The new formulations for the critical pressure, vertical stiffness, and horizontal stiffness of BSTRIs were developed.