Enhancing the teaching of seismic isolation using additive manufacturing

This paper provides a complementary study to two previous papers by Virgin (2017a,b). In those papers, 3D printing was used to provide hands-on experience for students studying structural analysis and structural dynamics, respectively. In this paper, the application of 3D printing is extended to investigate advanced seismic design strategies, namely seismic isolation. This paper describes the use of 3D printing to fabricate pendulum-type isolation bearings under parametric variation. Both sliding and rolling mechanisms are modeled, designed, fabricated and tested, and the influence of bearing geometry (radius) and damping (friction versus rolling resistance) on dynamic characteristics and isolation performance is explored.