INTRODUCTION

 Seismic isolation mitigates earthquake induced responses based on the concept of reducing the seismic demand by shifting the primary period of the structure rather than increasing the earthquake resistance capacity of structure. [1] The isolation technique can be adopted to improve the seismic performance of strategically important buildings such as schools, hospital, industrial structures, government office buildings etc. The goal is to simultaneously reduce inter-storey drifts and floor accelerations to limit or avoid damage, not only to the structure but also to its foundation, in a cost-effective manner. The main feature of the base-isolation technology is that it introduces between superstructure and its foundation a properly chosen flexible layer in order to shift the natural period of structure away from the dominant period of earthquake ground motion and thus to avoid the destructive effects given by the system resonance. [2-3] Based on the content of control to be achieved over the seismic response, the choice of the isolation system varies and thereupon its design is done to suit the requirements of use of the structure.

To view the whole Article click on "View PDF" button provided below :