Development of Design Code Oriented Formulas for Elastomeric Bearings Including Bulk Compressibility and Reinforcement Extensibility

AbstractThe introduction of alternative reinforcement types for elastomeric bearings has rendered it necessary to consider the extensibility of the reinforcement as an additional design parameter. The extensibility of the reinforcement reduces the lateral restraint on the elastomer and, similar to the compressibility of the elastomer, influences important design parameters such as the compression modulus and bending modulus. Neglecting the compressibility of the elastomer or the extensibility of the reinforcement may result in an unconservative overestimation of these design parameters. Existing analytical solutions, which have been developed based on the pressure solution, are usually not suitable for design purposes. In this study, the analytical solutions for infinite strip, circular, square, and annular pad geometries are expanded and simplified to form geometry-specific approximations that account for reinforcement extensibility and bulk compressibility. The derived approximations closely and conserv...