Effects of heating on the behavior of lead-rubber bearings. I: Theory

The energy dissipated per cycle and the characteristic strength of lead-rubber bearings reduce with increasing number of cycles as a result of heating of the lead core. The reduction is substantial depending on the geometric characteristics of the bearing and the speed of motion. This paper presents a theory that is capable of predicting the dependency on time of the characteristic strength and energy dissipated of lead-rubber bearings. The theory is based on predicting the temperature of the lead core and relating the temperature to the strength. A much simpler theory is also presented based on neglect of heat conduction through the steel shim and end plates of the bearing. The theory is useful in predicting the cyclic behavior of lead-rubber bearings for simplified analysis, in extrapolating experimental data from one scale to another and in developing models for dynamic response history analysis of seismically isolated structures that account for the time-dependent mechanical properties of the bearings. A companion paper presents results of eight tests of six lead-rubber bearings that provide verification of the theoretical solution.