Systems, Methods and Apparatus for Rolling Pendulum Base Isolation
AssigneeCal Poly Corporation
InventorMichael J Deigert
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Abstract
A system and method of a rolling pendulum base system includes a base including a spherically shaped, concave upper base surface, multiple bearings supported within the spherically shaped, concave upper base surface, a slider including a slider body, a spherically shaped, convex upper slider surface on an upper end of the slider body and a convex lower slider surface on the lower end of the slider body, the convex lower slider surface disposed on the bearings, and a pedestal including a pedestal body, a spherically shaped, concave lower pedestal surface on a lower end of the pedestal body and a flat upper pedestal surface on an upper end of the pedestal body, the concave lower pedestal surface disposed on the convex upper slider surface.
Claims17
A rolling pendulum base system comprising:
- a base including a spherically shaped, concave upper base surface;
- a first plurality of bearings supported within the spherically shaped, concave upper base surface;
- a slider including a slider body, a spherically shaped, convex upper slider surface on an upper end of the slider body and a convex lower slider surface on the lower end of the slider body, the convex lower slider surface disposed on the first plurality of bearings;
- and
- a pedestal including a pedestal body, a spherically shaped, concave lower pedestal surface on a lower end of the pedestal body and a flat upper pedestal surface on an upper end of the pedestal body, the concave lower pedestal surface disposed on the convex upper slider surface.
A rolling pendulum base system comprising:
- a base including a spherically shaped, concave upper base surface, the concave upper base surface including a first hydroformed metal sheet bonded to a base body;
- a first plurality of bearings supported within the spherically shaped, concave upper base surface;
- a slider including a slider body, a spherically shaped, convex upper slider surface on an upper end of the slider body and a convex lower slider surface on the lower end of the slider body, the convex lower slider surface disposed on the first plurality of bearings, convex upper slider surface including a second hydroformed metal sheet bonded to the upper end of the slider body and the convex lower slider surface including a third hydroformed metal sheet bonded to the lower end of the slider body;
- and
- a pedestal including a pedestal body, a spherically shaped, concave lower pedestal surface on a lower end of the pedestal body and a flat upper pedestal surface on an upper end of the pedestal body, the concave lower pedestal surface disposed on the convex upper slider surface, wherein the concave lower pedestal surface includes a fourth hydroformed metal sheet bonded to the lower end of the pedestal.
A method of isolating a structure from a lateral force event comprising:
- supporting the structure on a rolling pendulum base isolation system;
- allowing the structure to roll on the rolling pendulum base isolation system in a first lateral direction in response to a lateral force imparted to the structure;
- and
- centering the structure on the rolling pendulum base isolation system after the lateral force.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.