Practical designs and seismic performances of residential masonry building isolated with fiber reinforced elastomeric isolators

Since the seismic performance of masonry is considerably low, the masonry structure is not recommended for regions with high seismic risks. However, it is so far the preferred structure for low-class housing, particularly in developing countries. Comprehensive numerical and experimental studies are carried out to evaluate the possibility to build low-rise masonry housing with a suitable isolation system. Low-cost seismic rubber isolators reinforced with fiber are examined to product an innovative isolation device. To reduce the cost, rubber materials considered are recycled compounds derived from manufacturing waste. The utilization of fiber instead of steel can reduce the weight and allows the engineer to implement unbonded application of base isolators. Some technological details for masonry building are proposed to assure that the isolation system works well. In order to evaluate the seismic performance of such isolation system, non-linear static and dynamic analyses are performed through numerical models in a commercial finite element code. The results indicate excellent performances of low-cost isolation system so that this innovative residential masonry building is feasible for real application particularly in developing countries.