Laminated rubber vibration control device for structures

A hollow core building support and damper comprising:

• a plurality of vertically stacked rubber members having center openings and upper and lower parallel planar surfaces;
• first steel plates with like center openings interposed between and secured to adjacent rubber members, said stacked rubber members and said steel plates forming inner and outer wall surfaces to define a hollow core;
• a pair of imperforate second steel plates, one of which is secured to the said upper planar surface of the uppermost of said vertically stacked rubber members and the other of which is secured to said lower planar surface of the lowermost of said vertically stacked rubber members to sandwich said hollow core therebetween to form and to maintain an imperforate enclosed hollow chamber;
• at least one of said wall surfaces being configured to resist buckling of said damper due to horizontal deformation;
• a first horizontally vibratable mass;
• a second horizontally vibratable mass;
• a plurality of hollow core supports and dampers being positioned between said first horizontally vibratable mass and said second horizontally vibratable mass to position and to support said second horizontally vibratable mass vertically above said first horizontally vibratable mass;
• and a horizontal vibration actuator secured between said first horizontally vibratable mass and said second horizontally vibratable mass, said horizontal vibration actuator being adapted to positively vibrate said second horizontally vibratable mass responsive to horizontal seismic vibration impacting on said first horizontally vibratable mass, whereby said hollow core support and damper provide a high seismic vibration induced horizontal stroke, low horizontal shearing stiffness, and a long horizontal vibration period.

A hollow core support and damper comprising:

• a plurality of vertically stacked rubber members having center openings and upper and lower parallel planar surfaces;
• first steel plates with like center openings interposed between and secured to adjacent rubber members, said stacked rubber members and said steel plates forming inner and outer wall surfaces to define a hollow core;
• a pair of imperforate second steel plates, one of which is secured to the said upper planar surface of the uppermost of said vertically stacked rubber members and the other of which is secured to said lower planar surface of the lowermost of said vertically stacked rubber members to sandwich said hollow core therebetween to form and to maintain an imperforate enclosed hollow chamber;
• at least one of said wall surfaces being configured to resist buckling of said damper due to horizontal deformation;
• a first horizontally vibratable mass;
• a second horizontally vibratable mass;
• a plurality of hollow core supports being positioned between said first horizontally vibratable mass and said second horizontally vibratable mass to position and to support said second horizontally vibratable mass vertically above said first horizontally vibratable mass;
• a third horizontally vibratable mass supported on said second horizontally vibratable mass;
• and a horizontal vibration actuator secured between said second horizontal vibratable mass and said third horizontal vibratable mass, said horizontal vibration actuator being adapted to positively vibrate said third horizontally vibratable mass responsive to horizontal seismic vibration impacting on said first horizontally vibratable mass, whereby said hollow core support and damper provide a high seismic vibration induced horizontal stroke, low horizontal shearing stiffness, and a long horizontal vibration period.