EFFICIENT ANALYSIS OF THE NONLINEAR DYNAMIC RESPONSE OF A BUILDING WITH A FRICTION-BASED SEISMIC BASE ISOLATION SYSTEM

slip motion. Abstract. Many dynamic civil structures are subject to some form of non-smooth or discon-tinuous nonlinearity. One eminent example of such nonlinearity is friction. This is caused by the fact that friction always opposes the direction of movement, thus changing sign when the sliding velocity changes sign. In this paper, a structure with friction-based seismic base isola-tion is regarded. Seismic base isolation can be employed to decouple a superstructure from the potentially hazardous surrounding ground motion. As a result, the seismic resistance of the superstructure can be improved. In this case study, a linear finite element model of the superstructure is dynamically reduced enabling efficient nonlinear dynamic analysis after coupling with the nonlinear base isolation system, which is composed of linear laminated rubber bearings, linear viscous dampers, and nonlinear friction elements. The effects of vari-ous modeling approaches on the total system's dynamic response are considered. Further-more, the dynamic performance of the nonlinear system is studied by both transient and steady-state analyses. It is shown that, in addition to standard transient analyses, steady-state analyses can provide valuable insight in detailed understanding of the improved seismic re-sistance of a building with a friction-based base isolation system