The Effect of the Statistical Distribution of Isolator Properties on Building Performance
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Abstract
When designing buildings with seismic isolation, analyses must generally be run considering upper and lower
bounds of isolator properties. Upper bounds on yield strength and stiffness generate higher lateral loads in the
structure and increase the amount of damping. Lower bounds increase the isolator displacement, creating a need
for a larger moat. Such bounding analyses require in a substantial number of costly nonlinear analyses and
provide little insight into expected response. Alternatively, a probabilistic approach can identify the variability
of performance indices due to the distributions of isolator yield strength and post-yield stiffness. Additionally,
the probability that a limit state is exceeded given a set of isolator properties can be determined. By creating a
link between the distribution of isolator properties and building performance, the need for costly over and
underestimation of bearing properties is eliminated.