A macroscopic model for predicting large-deformation behaviors of laminated rubber bearings

This paper proposes a macroscopic model for predicting the large-deformation behaviors of laminated rubber bearings. The model has been developed by introducing finite deformation and nonlinear springs into Koh and Kelly's mechanical model with linear springs. The constitutive equations of this nonlinear spring model have been formulated to facilitate treatment of any load and/or deformation conditions such as changing axial forces. The paper deals with verification tests and presents an example of an analysis of behavior under changing axial forces to show the accuracy and practicality of the model, and describes the procedures for setting the characteristics of the springs of the model. From these tests and analytical results, the paper shows that the proposed model accurately expresses characteristic large-deformation behaviors of laminated rubber bearings, such as hardening, load deterioration, and buckling phenomena, with simple calculations. The paper also shows that it is possible to easily determine the characteristics of the springs of the model from basic loading tests on laminated rubber bearings.