Yasushi Nishimoto

ENERGY ABSORPTION CAPACITY OF THE LAMINATED FIBER REINFORCED RUBBER INSTALLED AT GIRDER ENDS

This research studied the energy absorption capacity of a laminated fiber reinforced rubber recently developed as a shock absorber as compared with that of ordinary rubbers. A collision test was conducted between 2 steel solid bars in order to assess the energy absorption and the impact force during the collision. Numerical simulations of the test results were then formulated by using the mass-spring system. It was concluded that both rubbers are effective in energy absorption during the collision; however, the laminated fiber reinforced rubber can reduce the impact force more than ordinary rubber. Further, it was found that the energy absorption can be estimated by using the mass-spring system, save for the impact force during the collision.

DEVELOPMENT OF NEW BRIDGE RESTRAINER USING LAMINATED FIBER REINFORCED RUBBER

This paper presents an experimental approach for the development of new bridge restrainer system using laminated fiber reinforced rubber (LFRR). After Kobe earthquake on January 1995, the design concept for the bridge restrainer has been revised so that the bridge should install the shock absorber which may be prevented from falling down due to earthquake shock. However, the shock absorbing system for the bridge restrainer has been required to satisfy the two performance requirements of high energy absorption and reduction of impact load. To this end, the laminated fiber reinforced rubber was developed to apply to the new bridge restrainer system as a shock absorber. In this study, the three kinds of tests of static compression, rapid speed loading and weight dropping impact for the LFRR specimen were first performed in order to investigate the efficiency of LFRR as a shock absorber. Then, the rubber-rolled pin was also developed as a new bridge restrainer system from the viewpoints of impact load reduction and high energy absorption.

AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON SHOCK ABSORBING EFFECT OF COLLISION BETWEEN TWO STEEL GIRDERS USING LAMINATED FIBER REINFORCED RUBBER

Studied herein is an experimental study on the collision between two steel girders using laminated fiber reinforced rubbers. The steel girder has 1000mm long, 200mm wide and 200mm high and the collision velocity ranges from 0.25m/sec to 2.00m/sec on 5 stages. In this experiment, a rubber or a few kinds of laminated fiber reinforced rubbers (LFRR) are equipped as a shock absorber and the energy absorption and the impact force during the collision are investigated. The following results are obtained from this study. The usual rubber and the LFRR are similar in the energy absorption during the collision however, the LFRR reduces the impact force better than the usual rubber when the laminated fibers break.