Hsiang-Chuan Tsai

Compressive stiffness of elastic layers bonded between rigid plates

The closed-form solutions to the compressive stiffness of elastic layers bonded between rigid plates are derived through theoretical analyses for the layers of infinite-strip, circular and square shapes. Based on the two kinematics assumptions, the governing equations for the mean pressure are established from the equilibrium equations and the bulk modulus equation. Satisfying the stress boundary conditions, the pressure functions are solved and the formulae for the compressive stiffness are derived. The compressive stiffnesses calculated from these formulae are extremely close to the results obtained from the finite element method for an extensive range of shape factor and Poissons ratio.

Mechanical properties of isolation bearings identified by a viscoelastic model

The Haringx theory is usually employed to describe the mechanical behavior of rubber bearings subjected to a compressive axial load and a lateral shear deformation, but it does not consider the damping effect. In order to study the behavior of isolation bearings which possess an energy-dissipation capacity, the explicit formulas for the horizontal stiffness of viscoelastic columns and the corresponded height reduction are derived by the method of variable separation. These explicit formulas are then applied to develop an identification procedure to find the shear modulus and loss factor of the rubber using the cyclic shear tests of isolation bearings. Through this identification procedure, the empirical formulas for the shear modulus and the loss factor of rubber are established as functions of the strain amplitude and the excitation frequency.

Tilting stiffness of elastic layers bonded between rigid plates

Abstract A theoretical approach to determine the tilting stiffness of an elastic layer bonded between rigid plates is presented and then applied to derive the formulae of tilting stiffness for layers of infinite-strip, circular and square shapes. Based on two kinematics assumptions, the governing equations for the mean pressure are established from the equilibrium equations and the bulk modulus equation. Satisfying the stress boundary conditions, the pressure functions are solved and the formulae for tilting stiffness are derived. The tilting stiffnesses calculated from these formulae are extremely close to the results obtained from the finite element method for an extensive range of shape factor and Poissons ratio.

Flexure analysis of circular elastic layers bonded between rigid plates

An elastic layer of circular cross-section which is bonded between rigid plates and subjected to pure bending moment is analyzed through a theoretical approach. Based on two kinematic assumptions, the governing equations for the two horizontal displacement functions are established from the equilibrium equations. The horizontal displacements are then solved by satisfying the stress boundary conditions in the elastic layer. Through these solved displacements, the vertical stress in the elastic layer, the shear stress on the bonding surfaces, and the tilting stiffness of the bonded layer are derived in closed-forms and are also compared with the results of finite element analysis.