ABSTRACT
During the last few years, a growing interest has been observed in the development of low-cost seismic isolation systems with the aim of reducing seismic risk in developing countries. Fibre-reinforced elastomeric isolators (FREIs) in unbonded configuration demonstrated to be an effective alternative solution to conventional steel-reinforced elastomeric isolators (SREIs). The use of reclaimed rubber compounds in FREIs has the potential to further reduce the environmental impact associated with this technology. Reclaimed rubber FREIs reinforced with polyester fabrics have shown adequate deformation capacity, stable hysteretic behaviour, and satisfactory damping properties. In this study, the environmental burden associated with the FREI technology when using reclaimed rubber compound and flexible reinforcement is computed by performing a life cycle environmental assessment. The sustainability outcome in terms of resource use/savings, energy and emissions to the environment is preliminary quantified and compared to that of classical SREIs.
