Search

This paper presents an analytical model for the static lateral stiffness of Wire Rope Isolators (WRI). The wire rope isolator, which is a passive isolation device, has been widely adopted as a shock and vibration isolation for many types of equipment and lightweight structures. The major advantage of the WRI is its ability to provide isolation in all three planes and in any orientation. The WRI in the lateral roll mode, is required to possess the required lateral stiffness to support and isolate the equipment effectively. The static lateral stiffness of WRI depends mainly on the geometrical characteristics and wire rope properties. The model developed in this paper is validated experimentally using a series of monotonic loading tests. The flexural rigidity of the wire ropes, which is required in the model, was determined from the transverse bending test on several wire rope cables. It was observed that the lateral stiffness is significantly influenced by the wire rope diameter and height of the isolator. The proposed analytical model can be used for the evaluation of lateral stiffness and in the preliminary design of the WRI. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Extensive research on bender element tests has been carried out by many researchers, but precise guidelines for carrying out such tests have not yet been established. It is often recommended that, when using a particular bender element test for the first time on a particular soil to determine its small strain dynamic properties, several methods should be tried and the results compared in order to improve confidence in the results obtained. Demonstrated use of relatively easy analytical models for investigating different scenarios of bender element testing is another aspect that should be further looked into. This paper presents laboratory experiments and dynamic finite element analyses to determine a suitable wave for use in bender element tests in the laboratory to measure small strain shear stiffness (Gmax). The suitability of a distorted sine wave over a continuous sine wave for tests is observed from laboratory experiments and dynamic finite element analyses. The use of simple finite element models for assessing a number of aspects in relation to bender element testing is demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]