Experimental research on mechanical properties of high damping thick rubber bearings

In order to explore the mechanical properties of high-damping thick-layer rubber bearings, this paper studies the force characteristics of horizontal shear and vertical compression of high-damping thick-layer rubber bearings under vertical compressive stress. A model considering horizontal shear deformation is established, and a vertical stiffness correction theory is proposed based on compressive stress changes. To verify the accuracy of the theoretical model, three types of high-damping thick-layer rubber bearings with different first shape coefficients were designed for horizontal quasi-static shear and vertical compression tests. The results show that the equivalent horizontal stiffness and equivalent damping ratio of the high-damping thick-layer rubber bearing are changed by the restraint effect of the internal steel plate. As the vertical compressive stress increases, the horizontal equivalent stiffness gradually decreases. In the vertical compression test, as the vertical pressure increases, the vertical compressive stiffness presents nonlinear strengthening characteristics. Through the comparative analysis of theoretical and experimental results, it can be seen that the mechanical model of horizontal shear deformation constructed in this paper can better describe the mechanical properties of high-damping thick-layer rubber bearing in horizontal shear, and the vertical stiffness correction theory can accurately calculate its vertical stiffness. The deviations from the test results under different working conditions are all within 5%. © 2024 Nanjing University of Aeronautics an Astronautics. All rights reserved.