ABSTRACT
The study focuses on computational aspects of the global and local response predictions of plain rubber bearings and rubber-steel composite bearings which are subjected to either compression load or combination of compression and shear loads. A finite element model of bearings was constructed where rubber was represented with a hyperelastic or nonlinear viscoelastic material model, and the steel was represented with an elastoplastic material model. Using the developed finite element model, the effects of the rubber viscoelasticity, rubber compressibility and the bearing shape factor on the global response, and the effects of the applied load magnitude and friction on the local response of the bearing were quantitatively determined. The analyses were conducted as quasi-static using implicit time integration.
