Experimental Study of the XY-Friction Pendulum Bearing

for Bridge Applications

Claudia C. Marin-Artieda, M.ASCE1; Andrew S. Whittaker, S.E., M.ASCE2; and
Michael C. Constantinou, M.ASCE3
Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by CRRI - Central Road Research Institute on 01/09/18. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.

Abstract: The XY-friction pendulum 共XY-FP兲 bearing is a modified Friction Pendulum 共Earthquake Protection Systems, Inc., Vallejo,
Calif.兲 bearing that consists of two perpendicular steel rails with opposing concave surfaces and a connector. The connector resists tensile
forces, provides for independent sliding in the two principal directions of the isolators, and ideally, permits unhindered rotation about its
vertical axis. Experimental studies on an XY-FP seismically isolated truss-bridge model were undertaken to study response under
tridirectional excitations and to evaluate the use of XY-FP bearings for bridges. A truss bridge model was tested on a pair of earthquake
simulators using acceleration orbits and near-field earthquake histories. The experimental results demonstrated the effectiveness of the
XY-FP bearings as an uplift-prevention isolation system: the XY-FP bearings simultaneously resisted significant tensile loads and func-
tioned as seismic isolators. The bidirectional horizontal response of the small-scale XY-FP isolation system was coupled due to the
internal construction of the small-scale connectors that joined the two rails of each XY-FP bearing and the limited free-to-rotate capacity
of the XY-FP bearings due to misalignment of the isolators during installation.
DOI: 10.1061/共ASCE兲1084-0702共2009兲14:3共193兲
CE Database subject headings: Seismic effects; Isolation; Uplift resistance; Earthquakes; Friction; Bridges.

Introduction tions of XY-FP bearings to bridges and to study the experimental

The XY-friction pendulum 共XY-FP兲 bearing is a modified Friction
Pendulum bearing that consists of two perpendicular steel rails
with opposing concave surfaces and a mechanical unit that con-
nects the rails, which is termed the connector hereafter. Ideally,
the connector resists tensile forces, permits independent sliding
along each horizontal axis of the bearing, and has no resistance to
rotation about its vertical axis. Fig. 1 presents a solid model of an
XY-FP bearing and a photograph of the connector. The studies
described herein and those reported in Marin-Artieda et al. 共2007兲
extended the first experimental and analytical study of XY-FP
bearings at the University at Buffalo by Roussis and Constantinou
共2005兲. Roussis and Constantinou demonstrated the effectiveness
of the new isolator as an uplift-prevention isolation system in a
1 / 4-length-scale five-story isolated frame that was subjected to
earthquake shaking applied in the vertical and one horizontal di-
rection of the frame. Herein, the attention was shifted to applica-
1
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Howard Univ.,
Washington, D.C. 20059; formerly, Research Scientist, Dept. of Civil,
Structural, and Environmental Engineering, State Univ. of New York at
Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260. E-mail: cmarin@howard.edu
2
Professor, Dept. of Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineering,
State Univ. of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260. E-mail:
awhittak@buffalo.edu
3
Professor, Dept. of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering,
State Univ. of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260. E-mail:
constan1@eng.buffalo.edu
Note. Discussion open until October 1, 2009. Separate discussions
must be submitted for individual papers. The manuscript for this paper
was submitted for review and possible publication on October 25, 2007;
approved on November 25, 2008. This paper is part of the Journal of
Bridge Engineering, Vol. 14, No. 3, May 1, 2009. ©ASCE, ISSN 1084-
0702/2009/3-193–202/$25.00.
behavior of XY-FP isolated systems under tridirectional excita-
tions. The XY-FP bearing has two key features for bridges,
namely, resistance to tensile axial loads, and the capability to
have different isolation properties along the principal directions of
the isolators. Marin-Artieda et al. 共2007兲 identify the effectiveness
of the XY-FP bearings at limiting displacements for different slid-
ing properties.
The experimental work was undertaken in the Structural En-
gineering and Earthquake Simulation Laboratory at the University
at Buffalo using a pair of earthquake simulators and a 1 / 4-
length-scale truss-bridge model 共Warn and Whittaker 2006兲
supported on four XY-FP bearings with identical radii of curva-
ture in the principal directions. The XY-FP isolated truss-bridge
model was subjected to harmonic excitations applied in one and
two horizontal directions to assess the force-displacement charac-
teristics of XY-FP bearings and to evaluate both the horizontal
interaction of the rails in the principal directions and the free-to-
rotate capacity of the isolators. Further, the isolated model was
subjected to near-field earthquake-shaking to evaluate the tridirec-
tional response of the XY-FP isolated system and the effective-
ness of XY-FP bearings to resist tensile axial loads.
This manuscript is organized into six sections. The second
section provides a brief description of the XY-FP bearings. The
third section provides a description of the earthquake-simulator
test plan including details of the truss-bridge model, the XY-FP
bearings, the test setup, and test procedures. The fourth section
describes results and presents observations on the harmonic and
earthquake-simulation tests. The fifth section presents selected
numerical and experimental responses of the XY-FP isolated
truss-bridge model subjected to the test harmonic excitations. The
final section presents summary, conclusions, and recommenda-
tions for further studies on XY-FP bearings.

JOURNAL OF BRIDGE ENGINEERING © ASCE / MAY/JUNE 2009 / 193

J. Bridge Eng., 2009, 14(3): 193-202

Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by CRRI - Central Road Research Institute on 01/09/18. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.

Fig. 1. XY-FP bearings

General Description of an XY-FP Bearing Fig. 2. XY-FP bearing in the test fixture

Each rail of an XY-FP bearing has sliding stainless steel concave

surface: the lower-rail-concave surface faces up, whereas the
upper-rail-concave surface faces down 共Fig. 1兲. The connector has
sliding surfaces faced with a high bearing low-friction composite
material. The connector is intended to provide resistance to tensile
axial loads, independent sliding in the principal directions of the
isolators and free-to-rotate capacity. The rotation capacity of one
rail with respect to the other in the XY-FP bearing depends on the
internal construction of the connector and the tolerances used in
its construction. Roussis and Constantinou 共2006兲 and Marin-
Artieda et al. 共2007兲 present a complete description of the XY-FP
bearing.
The XY-FP bearing is modeled as two uncoupled unidirec-
tional FP bearings oriented along the two orthogonal directions
共rails兲 of the XY-FP bearing. The force-displacement relationships
for the x- and y-directions of the XY-FP bearing in both directions
are
N N
Fx = Ux + ␮hx兩N兩Zx, Fy = Uy + ␮hy兩N兩Zy
Rx Ry
where Fx and Fy = horizontal resisting shear forces in the x- and
y-directions, respectively; N = normal force; Rx and Ry = radii of
curvature of the rails in the x- and y-directions, respectively; Ux
and Uy = lateral displacements of the isolator relative to the sub-
structure in the x- and y-directions, respectively; ␮hx and
␮hy⫽velocity- and pressure-dependent coefficients of friction as-
sociated with the horizontal contact surfaces on the rail of the
bearing in the x- and y-directions, respectively; and Zx and Zy,
= hysteretic dimensionless quantities to account for the stick-slip
conditions governed by the following uncoupled differential
equation:
XY-FP Bearing Testing Programs
Truss-Bridge Model, Set of Bearings, and Test Fixture
A single-span 1 / 4-length-scale steel truss superstructure of a
bridge with a clear span of 10.67 m, width of 1.22 m, height of
1.52 m, and a total weight of 398 kN 共Warn and Whittaker 2006,
2008兲 was used in testing. The total weight includes self-weight,
steel plates, and lead bricks. The bridge model simulates a single-
span truss bridge isolated with four XY-FP bearings on rigid
supports.
The truss-bridge model was supported on one set of four bear-
ings that had identical radii of curvature in both principal direc-
tions. The radius of curvature was 991 mm for an idealized
sliding period in each principal direction of the bearing of 2 s at
the model scale 共4 s at the prototype scale兲. A prototype sliding
共1兲 period of 4 s was chosen as representative of bridge applications.
共In practice, the choice of sliding period will depend on the per-
missible displacement across the isolators and shear force deliv-
ered to the substructure.兲 The isolated truss-bridge model was
supported by load cells mounted on the platform extensions of the
two earthquake simulators. Fig. 2 is a photograph of one of the
XY-FP bearings in the test fixture showing the installation detail.
Predrilled steel plates connected the upper rail to the truss-bridge
model and the lower rail to the load cell. Fig. 3 presents two
photographs of the test fixture. The test instrumentation included
four types of transducers: 26 string potentiometers, 45 accelerom-
eters, four load cells, and a Krypton K600 Portable CMM System
共Metrics, Brighton, Mich.兲.

再 冎再 冎
ŻxY x
ŻyY y
=
AU̇x
AU̇y
Bidirectional „Horizontal… Excitation
and Earthquake-Simulator Tests
The XY-FP isolated truss-bridge model was subjected to har-

− 冋 Z2x 共␥ sgn共U̇xZx兲 + ␤兲 0
册 monic and near-field earthquake excitations applied in uni-, bi-,
and tridirectional shaking to 共1兲 assess the force-displacement
characteristics of XY-FP bearings; 共2兲 evaluate both the horizontal

再冎
0 Z2y 共␥ sgn共U̇yZy兲 + ␤兲
interaction of the rails in the principal directions and the un-
U̇x restrained rotation capacity of the isolators; 共3兲 evaluate the tridi-
⫻ 共2兲 rectional response of the XY-FP isolated system; and 共4兲 judge the
U̇y
effectiveness of XY-FP bearings to resist tensile axial loads. The
where A, ␤, and ␥ = dimensionless quantities that control the selected excitations were scaled so as not to exceed either the
shape of the hysteresis loop and Y x and Y y = yield displacements physical limitations of the earthquake simulators or the capacity
for each sliding direction. of the XY-FP bearings. Table 1 presents the test notation and

194 / JOURNAL OF BRIDGE ENGINEERING © ASCE / MAY/JUNE 2009

J. Bridge Eng., 2009, 14(3): 193-202

 variables of the different harmonic excitations, and Table 2
presents the earthquake testing program, test notation and scale
factors.

Results and Analysis of Harmonic and Earthquake

Simulations

Correlation of Input Excitations of the Two Earthquake

Simulators
Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by CRRI - Central Road Research Institute on 01/09/18. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.

The correlation of the input excitations to the model was charac-

terized by comparing the 5% damped elastic response spectra
generated using acceleration histories of the two earthquake simu-
lators. Fig. 4 presents a set of normalized acceleration response
spectra for the test that used the three components of the Imperial
Valley 1979, El Centro Array No. 6 Earthquake histories 共Test
EC45%xyz in Table 2兲, where x, y, and z are longitudinal, trans-
verse and vertical axes, respectively. The spectra in Fig. 4 is most
similar indicating that the simulators delivered near synchronous
inputs to the supports of the bridge model. The small differences
in the x- and y-direction spectra at a period of 0.06 s is of no
significance as such a period is far from the period range of im-
portance in the isolated model.

Fig. 3. Test setup and bearing locations
Response of the XY-FP Isolated Truss-Bridge Model
In the section entitled “General Description of an XY-FP Bear-
ing,” the XY-FP bearings are modeled as two uncoupled FP
bearings with resistance to tensile axial loads 关Eq. 共1兲兴. The un-
coupled horizontal response of the rails of the XY-FP bearings
offers some advantages for bridge applications, such as greater
energy dissipation and the ability to have different isolation prop-

Table 1. Harmonic Excitation Tests

Acceleration-orbit Test Ax fx ␾x Ay fy ␾y
excitation notationa 共mm兲 共Hz兲 共rad兲 共mm兲 共Hz兲 共rad兲
Linear trajectory L451x 70.0 0.4 0 — — —
oriented 45°
L451y — — — 70 0.4 0
L451xy 70.0 0.4 0 70.0 0.4 0
Figure 8 F81y — — — 25.4 0.8 0
F81xy 70.0 0.4 0 25.4 0.8 0
Figure C FC1x 25.4 0.8 ␲/2 — — —
FC1y — — — 70.0 0.4 3␲ / 2
FC1xy 25.4 0.8 ␲/2 70.0 0.4 3␲ / 2
Figure 8 F81yr — — — 25.4 0.8 0
Linear trajectory L452xy 12.8 1.2 0 12.8 1.2 0
oriented 45°
Circular figure C1xy 11.4 1.6 ␲/6 11.4 1.6 2␲ / 3
Linear trajectory L451xyr 70.0 0.4 0 70.0 0.4 0
oriented 45°
L453x 64.0 0.4 0 — — —
L453y — — — 64 0.4 0
L453xr 64.0 0.4 0 — — —
L451xr 70.0 0.4 0 — — —
L453yr — — — 64 0.4 0
L451yr — — — 70 0.4 0
Note: Sinusoidal displacement histories were applied to the model as follows: Ui = Ai sin共2␲f i + ␸i兲, where Ai, f i and ␸i = amplitude, frequency, and
phase-angle, in direction i 共i = x , y兲, respectively.
a
“r” at the end of the test notation denotes repetition.

JOURNAL OF BRIDGE ENGINEERING © ASCE / MAY/JUNE 2009 / 195

J. Bridge Eng., 2009, 14(3): 193-202

 Table 2. Earthquake Testing Program
Excitation Scale
Station Earthquake componentsa factor Test notationb
El Centro Array No. 6 Imperial Valley V共z兲 + H1共x兲 + H2共y兲 45 EC45%xyz
October 15, 1979 H1共x兲 + H2共y兲 45 EC45%xy
H1共x兲 + H2共y兲 55 EC55%xy
H1共x兲 45 EC45%x
H2共y兲 45 EC45%y
V共z兲 45 EC45%z
Tabas Tabas, Iran V共z兲 + H1共x兲 + H2共y兲 40 TB40%xyz
Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by CRRI - Central Road Research Institute on 01/09/18. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.

October 15, 1979 H1共x兲 + H2共y兲 40 TB40%xy

H1共x兲 40 TB40%x
H2共y兲 40 TB40%y
V共z兲 40 TB40%z
V共z兲 + H1共y兲 + H2共x兲 40 TB40%yxz
H1共y兲 + H2共x兲 40 TB40%yx
El Centro Array No. 6 Imperial Valley V共z兲 + H1共x兲 + H2共y兲 45 EC45%xyzr
October 15, 1979
Duzce Duzce, Turkey V共z兲 + H1共x兲 + H2共y兲 80 DZ80%xyz
November 12, 1999 H1共x兲 + H2共y兲 80 DZ80%xy
V共z兲 + H1共y兲 + H2共x兲 80 DZ80%yxz
H1共y兲 + H2共x兲 80 DZ80%yx
CHY101 Chi-Chi, Taiwan V共z兲 + H1共x兲 + H2共y兲 60 C-C60%xyz
September 9, 1999 H1共x兲 + H2共y兲 60 C-C60%xy
KJMA Kobe January 16, 1995 V共z兲 + H1共x兲 + H2共y兲 80 KJM80%xyz
H1共x兲 + H2共y兲 80 KJM80%xy
El Centro Array No. 6 Imperial Valley V共z兲 + H1共x兲 + H2共y兲 45 EC45%xyzrr
October 15, 1979
a
H1 and H2 = horizontal components of the earthquake history applied in either the x- or y-direction of the truss bridge model and V = vertical component
of the earthquake history applied in the vertical 共z兲 direction.
b
“r” at the end of the test notation denotes repetition.

erties along the principal directions of the isolators 共Marin-

Artieda et al. 2007兲. However, it was not known prior to this
study whether the small-scale XY-FP bearing connector would
permit uncoupled horizontal response and how small misalign-
ments in the test fixture would impact the performance of the
isolation system. The mechanical properties of the small-scale
connector constructed for the model XY-FP bearings will gener-
ally not be representative of prototype connectors because of the
relatively small axial loads 共pressures兲 on the model bearings and
construction tolerances.
The test results show clear evidence of the coupled horizontal
response of the rails of the XY-FP bearings under uni-, bi-, and
tridirectional excitations. The small-scale connectors of the
XY-FP bearings transferred moments between the rails of the
bearings when the isolation system experienced small rotations
about a vertical axis, leading to the 共undesirable兲 torsional re-
sponse of the isolation system. As the small-scale connector and
minor misalignment of the isolators in the test fixture 共leading to
a loss of unrestrained rotation in the bearing兲 did not permit fully
uncoupled orthogonal responses, the force-displacement relation-
ships for the idealized XY-FP bearings presented in the second
section could not be compared directly with most of the test re-
sults. The free-to-rotate capacity about the vertical axis of an
XY-FP bearing depends on the construction of the connector 关see
Fig. 1共b兲兴 with extremely tight tolerances required at the model
Fig. 4. Normalized response spectra for 45% El Centro xyz, 5% scale. The XY-FP bearing is detailed to rotate freely approxi-
damping mately 4° about its vertical axis 共Roussis and Constantinou 2006兲,

196 / JOURNAL OF BRIDGE ENGINEERING © ASCE / MAY/JUNE 2009

J. Bridge Eng., 2009, 14(3): 193-202

Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by CRRI - Central Road Research Institute on 01/09/18. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.
Fig. 5. Shear forces in the XY-FP bearings for unidirectional
excitation in the y-direction, Test L451y
but small misalignments of the isolators during construction
substantially reduced the free-to-rotate capacity in the model
bearings.
The small rotations about the vertical axis of the truss-bridge
model during testing led to significant differences in the bearing
displacements. Due to the large length-to-width ratio of the
truss-bridge model, a minor rotation about a vertical axis of the
isolated structure led to significant differences between the dis-
placements of the bearings on the west simulator 共Bearings 1 and
2, Fig. 3兲 and those of the bearings on the east simulator 共Bear-
ings 3 and 4兲.
If a symmetric superstructure, a symmetric isolation system,
uncoupled horizontal response of the rails of the XY-FP bearings,
parallel and level rails of the XY-FP bearings, and identical simu-
lator inputs are assumed, and the pressure dependency of the fric-
tion forces is ignored, the XY-FP isolated structure will neither
experience rotation about a vertical axis nor have eccentricities
between the center of stiffness and the center of mass because the
centers of lateral stiffness, friction resistance, and mass will co-
incide. However, if the rotation about the vertical axis exceeds the
free-to-rotate capacity of the connector, the connector effectively
locks up and transfers undesirable torsional moments from rail to
rail.
Bidirectional Response of the Isolated Structure
under Unidirectional Harmonic Excitation
Unidirectional harmonic excitation of the bridge structure resulted
in bidirectional response for the reason given previously. Due to
the large length-to-width ratio of the truss-bridge model, the
lateral-torsional coupling effects were most evident when the uni-
directional excitation was imposed in the transverse direction of
the truss-bridge model.
Figs. 5 and 6 present the responses of the truss-bridge model
to a displacement sinusoidal history of 70 mm amplitude at a
period of 2.5 s for unidirectional excitation in the y-direction
JOURNAL OF BRIDGE ENGINEERING © ASCE / MAY/JUNE 2009 / 197
J. Bridge Eng., 2009, 14(3): 193-202
Fig. 6. Global force-displacement loop of the XY-FP isolation
system in the y-direction, Test L451y
共Test L451y, Table 1兲. Fig. 5 shows the resisting shear forces
for Bearings 1 and 2 共Fig. 3兲 in the x- and y-directions when the
sinusoidal displacement history was applied in the y-direction.
Although there was no excitation in the x-direction, the magni-
tude of the x-direction shear forces in the bearings is comparable
to that in the y-direction. Under unidirectional excitation, shear
forces developed in the connector perpendicular to the unidirec-
tional excitation to align the connector with the lower rail. These
shear forces resulted from the nonuniform contact of the lateral
surfaces of the connector guides with the lateral surfaces of the
rails. Fig. 6 illustrates the effect of lateral-torsional coupling of
the isolation system on the restoring stiffness of the XY-FP
isolation system. Fig. 6 shows the global force-displacement loop
in the y-direction of the isolation system undergoing unidirec-
tional excitation in the y-direction. The sliding period of the ide-
alized XY-FP isolation system is 2 s in both horizontal directions.
On the basis of the data presented in Fig. 6, the isolated period
of the truss bridge in the y-direction is approximately 2.6 s,
calculated from the second-slope stiffness of the global force-
displacement loop, which indicates that a modest degree of bi-
directional interaction of the shear forces of the XY-FP bearing
can lead to force-displacement relationships that differ from the
idealized case.
The response of the XY-FP isolation system to some of the
harmonic excitations captured the force fluctuations during the
reversal of motion 共at maximum displacement兲 that some have
associated with the stick phase of response 共Mokha et al. 1988;
Constantinou et al. 1999兲. Fig. 6 shows these small fluctuations in
force during a reversal of motion in the harmonic test at a fre-
quency of 0.4 Hz; the force fluctuations were not evident in other
harmonic tests. An coupled response similar to that of the truss-
bridge model under y-unidirectional excitation, albeit smaller in
magnitude, was observed for the isolated truss-bridge model sub-
jected to unidirectional excitation in the x-direction.
Variation of Bearings Axial Load and the Effect
on the Response of the XY-FP Bearings
The responses of an XY-FP isolation system under uni- and bidi-
rectional excitations can differ due to the magnitude and sign of
the axial load on the bearings. The friction and restoring forces of
an XY-FP isolator depends on the co-existing axial load, which
changes continuously over the course of an earthquake history
due to overturning moments, bearing displacements, and vertical
accelerations. Due to the large length-to-width ratio of the truss-
bridge model described herein, the overturning moments acting in
the transverse direction dominated the magnitude and sign of the
axial load in the bearings.
Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by CRRI - Central Road Research Institute on 01/09/18. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.
Fig. 7. Global force-displacement loops in the x-direction of the
XY-FP isolation system in Tests L451x, L451xy, and F81xy
The global force-displacements loops in the x-direction of the
XY-FP isolation system for the Tests L451x, L451xy, and F81xy
共see test notation in Table 2兲 are assembled in Fig. 7. Fig. 7 shows
that for an identical sinusoidal displacement history applied to
the truss-bridge model in the x-direction in uni- and bidirectional
excitation, the shapes of the loops are different: for Test F81xy,
the loop shape is significantly different from the loops for
Tests L451x and L451xy. The effect of the variation of bearing
axial load at the frequency of excitation in the y-direction is
evident in the shape of the x-force-displacement loop for Test
F81xy: the variation of bearing axial load at 0.8 Hz led to fluc-
tuations in the force-displacement loop of the rail in the
x-direction moving at a frequency of 0.4 Hz. The shapes of the
x-force-displacement loops for Tests L451x and L451xy are simi-
lar because the x-bearing-displacements and the axial load have
the same frequency.
198 / JOURNAL OF BRIDGE ENGINEERING © ASCE / MAY/JUNE 2009
J. Bridge Eng., 2009, 14(3): 193-202
Fig. 8. Global force-displacement loops of the XY-FP isolation sys-
tem in Tests FC1x, FC1y, and FC1xy
Fig. 8 illustrates how the shape of the force-displacement loop
can be significantly affected by the axial load for bidirectional
harmonic excitation when the excitations have different frequen-
cies. Fig. 8 shows the global force-displacement loops of the
XY-FP isolation system after applying uni- and bidirectional ex-
citations, Tests FC1x, FC1y, and FC1xy from Table 1. As a result
of different frequencies of excitation in the two horizontal direc-
tions, the global force-displacement trajectory in the x-direction
for the bidirectional Test FC1xy includes two distinct loop shapes.
In every two cycles, the force-displacement trajectory followed a
trajectory forming two different loop shapes. In one cycle, the
loop does not close and a second loop horizontally and vertically
translated with respect to the first one is formed in the second
cycle. The fluctuations in the global force-displacement loops in
the y-direction of the bidirectional excitation Test FC1xy are due
to the contribution of the longitudinal overturning moments to the
axial load. The frequency of the axial load histories is the fre-
quency of the sinusoidal excitation applied in the y-direction.
However, overturning moments in the x-direction 共about the
y-axis兲 produced force fluctuations in the axial load histories at
the frequency of excitation in the x-direction and thus fluctuations
in the force-displacement loop.
Tension Resistance and the Effectiveness of the XY-FP
Isolation System
The effectiveness of XY-FP bearings resisting tensile axial loads
during tridirectional shaking was evident during testing. The
XY-FP isolated truss-bridge model was subjected to earthquake
shaking that induced overturning moments and vertical accelera-
tions capable of overcoming the compressive loads, generating
tensile axial loads in some of the XY-FP bearings. The vertical
components of the earthquake history led to tensile loads on the
isolators in three of the five earthquake histories used in testing.
Bearings 1 and 3 experienced tensile loads. Table 3 presents the
maximum responses of the XY-FP isolation system to the earth-
quake excitations and the maximum axial load of individual
XY-FP bearings 共wherein, compressive and tensile loads are posi-
tive and negative, respectively.兲 The tensile resistance of the
 Table 3. Maximum Global Response and Maximum Axial Loads of the XY-FP Isolation System to the Earthquake Histories
Maximum global response of the XY-FP isolationsystem Axial load 共kN兲a

Base Average
shear/total displacement
Simulator PSAc 共g兲 weight 共mm兲 Bearing 1 Bearing 2 Bearing 3 Bearing 4
Test
notationb x y z x y x y Max. Min. Max. Min. Max. Min. Max. Min.
EC45%xyz 0.13 0.17 0.58 0.05 0.05 11.5 15.8 163 2 193 40 206 −32 185 31
EC45%xy 0.15 0.18 0.02 0.05 0.05 16.6 20.5 109 69 135 89 117 75 124 79
EC55%xy 0.18 0.22 0.01 0.05 0.06 29.7 48.7 112 66 140 85 122 64 132 73
Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by CRRI - Central Road Research Institute on 01/09/18. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.

EC45%x 0.14 0.01 0.01 0.05 0.00 15.1 0.1 96 89 116 106 98 90 105 98
EC45%y 0.01 0.18 0.01 0.01 0.05 1.1 26.7 109 70 134 93 118 72 124 77
EC45%z 0.07 0.06 0.59 0.01 0.02 0.3 0.1 155 16 173 41 178 −1 173 32
TB40%xyz 0.35 0.37 0.20 0.07 0.05 20.8 16.8 180 −7 199 40 196 −18 186 32
TB40%xy 0.35 0.39 0.02 0.06 0.05 21.9 15.7 125 60 137 76 125 61 139 71
TB40%x 0.34 0.02 0.02 0.06 0.01 21.5 0.2 105 90 113 98 105 92 102 90
TB40%y 0.01 0.33 0.01 0.01 0.05 0.7 16.1 132 62 141 72 131 67 131 63
TB40%z 0.04 0.04 0.17 0.00 0.01 0.3 0.3 177 −14 201 40 181 −17 190 31
TB40%yxz 0.32 0.33 0.17 0.07 0.06 16.9 20.6 177 −17 207 40 193 −21 190 31
TB40%yx 0.32 0.35 0.03 0.06 0.05 15.3 21.1 121 52 146 81 127 58 135 73
EC45%xyzr 0.14 0.19 0.60 0.05 0.06 14.7 26.5 170 −20 200 40 194 -35 205 30
DZ80%xyz 0.29 0.42 0.17 0.06 0.07 16.5 49.7 163 20 178 47 171 20 172 35
DZ80%xy 0.28 0.42 0.02 0.06 0.06 16.4 50.4 126 64 142 78 133 67 130 64
DZ80%yxz 0.42 0.28 0.16 0.07 0.06 36.1 16.0 160 25 173 52 169 26 165 37
DZ80%yx 0.41 0.27 0.02 0.07 0.05 42.7 15.5 121 63 143 80 126 71 124 65
C-C60%xyz 0.21 0.27 0.12 0.06 0.06 21.9 41.1 134 51 146 78 133 48 151 69
C-C60%xy 0.19 0.26 0.02 0.06 0.06 22.7 44.3 118 64 140 85 123 65 131 73
KJM80%xyz 0.60 0.47 0.27 0.07 0.07 31.5 38.7 188 3 198 40 192 −4 190 32
KJM80%xy 0.62 0.48 0.04 0.06 0.06 33.2 40.0 123 65 142 76 120 60 141 73
EC45%xyzrr 0.14 0.19 0.60 0.05 0.06 13.5 30.3 173 −21 204 39 209 −37 208 29
a
Entries in italics indicate the cases in which the bearings resisted tensile forces. Compression ⫹ and tension ⫺.
b
See notation in Table 2.
c
Peak simulator acceleration 共PSA兲: average value of peak accelerations of the two simulators.

XY-FP bearing can be a most useful property for seismically iso-
lated bridges of selected configurations. The level of shear force
transmitted from the superstructure to the load cells under earth-
quake excitations is a useful, albeit indirect measure of the effec-
tiveness of the isolation system. Herein, the effectiveness of the
XY-FP bearings was determined by comparing the maximum ac-
celeration of the earthquake simulator 共high-pass filtered at
0.20 Hz兲 to the base shear of the isolation system normalized by
the total weight of the truss-bridge model.
During tridirectional testing, the greatest peak horizontal ac-
celerations of the simulators were obtained for the 80% Kobe
KJMA Station earthquake histories. The maximum accelerations
of the earthquake simulator were 0.6, 0.47, and 0.27g, in the x-,
y-, and z-directions, respectively, and the corresponding base
shear in both horizontal directions was 7% of the total weight. For
this test, the maximum compressive load on one of the bearings
共Bearing 2兲 was 198 kN and the maximum tensile axial load on
Bearing 3 was −4 kN.
The smallest peak horizontal accelerations on the simulators in
this testing program were obtained for the 45% Imperial Valley
1979, El Centro Array No. 6 earthquake histories—the peak ver-
tical accelerations are relatively larger than those of the horizontal
components. The maximum accelerations of the earthquake simu-
lators were 0.13, 0.17, and 0.58g, in the x, y-, and z-directions,
respectively; the base shear in both horizontal directions was 5%
of the total weight. For this test, the maximum compressive and
tensile loads were reached in Bearing 3: 206 and −32 kN, respec-
tively. The XY-FP bearings simultaneously resist tensile loads and
functioned as seismic isolators in all tests.
Effect of Vertical Ground Motion on the Response
of the XY-FP Isolation System
Fig. 9 presents the force-displacement loops of Bearing 3 共see
Fig. 3兲 for the 80% Kobe KJMA station earthquake histories in
two and three directions. These loops show displacements in the
tridirectional earthquake excitation that are similar to those re-
corded for bidirectional shaking. The shear forces on the bearings
in the tridirectional earthquake excitation fluctuated with the ver-
tical accelerations and led to differences in the peak shear forces.
The test results confirmed the prior observations of Tsopelas and
Constantinou 共1994兲 and Mosqueda et al. 共2004兲 regarding the
minor effect of vertical components of ground motion on the dis-
placement response of sliding isolation systems. However, the
peak shear forces in the bearings will generally be increased if the
vertical earthquake shaking is considered.
Numerical Responses of the Truss-Bridge Model
for Test Excitations
Marin-Artieda et al. 共2007兲 presents the details of the analytical
model, details, assumptions, results and observations of the nu-

JOURNAL OF BRIDGE ENGINEERING © ASCE / MAY/JUNE 2009 / 199

J. Bridge Eng., 2009, 14(3): 193-202

Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by CRRI - Central Road Research Institute on 01/09/18. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.
Fig. 9. Force-displacement loops of Bearing 3 for Tests KJM80%xyz
and KJM80%xy
merical analysis of the testing model subjected to the test excita-
tions. The numerical responses calculated using 3D-BASIS-ME
共Roussis and Constantinou 2005; Tsopelas et al. 1994兲 cannot be
compared directly with most of the test results because the nu-
merical analyses assumed uncoupled response of the rails of the
XY-FP bearings, and the test results presented in the section en-
titled “Results” and Analysis of Harmonic and Earthquake Simu-
lations showed otherwise. 共An analytical model that coupled the
responses of the rails was not developed because prototype
connectors would be detailed to deliver uncoupled responses of
the rails and tested to ensure the same.兲 However, some experi-
mental responses are compared with numerical responses herein
to validate the mathematical idealization of both the stick-slip
phase of the response of the XY-FP bearings and the effect of the
axial load on the shape of the force-displacement loops of XY-FP
bearings.
Fig. 10. Global force-displacement loop of the XY-FP isolation sys-
tem for bidirectional excitation in Test L451xy
200 / JOURNAL OF BRIDGE ENGINEERING © ASCE / MAY/JUNE 2009
J. Bridge Eng., 2009, 14(3): 193-202
Fig. 11. Responses of Bearing 3 in the x-direction for bidirectional
excitation in Test FC1xy
Fig. 10 shows the numerical 关Fig. 10共a兲兴 and experimental
关Fig. 10共b兲兴 global shear force-displacement loops of the isolated
truss bridge model to the harmonic bidirectional Test L451xy 共see
Table 1兲. Each loop of the numerical response on Fig. 10 has
minor force fluctuations during the reversal of motion due to
sticking. The fluctuations are created in the solution of the state of
motion at the points of zero velocity. The intensity of these fluc-
tuations depends on the inertial properties, viscous damping, co-
efficients of friction and restoring forces. Fig. 10 also shows
similar force fluctuations on the experimental force-displacement
loops due to the stick-slip response. These data and other pre-
sented in Marin-Artieda et al. 共2007兲 validate the idealization of
stick-slip motion using the Bouc–Wen equation 共Bouc 1971; Wen
1976; Park et al. 1986兲, which is implemented in 3D-BASIS-ME
共Tsopelas et al. 1994兲.
The numerical and experimental responses of the XY-FP iso-
lation system demonstrated that the bearing axial load can affect
the shapes of the force-displacements loops of the XY-FP bear-
ings. Similarly to Fig. 8, Fig. 11 assembles the numerical and
experimental force-displacement loops in the x-direction for Bear-
ing 3 共on east simulator, see Fig. 3兲 for the bidirectional harmonic
excitation Test FC1xy 共see Table 1兲 illustrate the influence of
axial force on the shape of the force-displacement loops. Fig. 11
shows the paired force-displacement loops in the x-direction for
both numerical and experimental responses as a result of different
frequencies of excitation in the two horizontal directions; the
axial load changes at a frequency of 0.4 Hz whereas the input
excitation in the x-direction is at a frequency of 0.8 Hz.
Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations
An experimental study was undertaken to study both the response
of XY-FP isolated systems under tridirectional excitation and the
 application of XY-FP bearings to bridges. An XY-FP bearing is a
modified friction pendulum bearing that consists of two perpen-
dicular steel rails and a connector. Ideally, the connector resists
tensile forces, permits independent sliding in the principal direc-
tions of the isolators, and does not resist rotation about its vertical
axis.
This study was conducted using one 1 / 4-length-scale truss-
bridge model supported on one set of XY-FP bearings. The
XY-FP isolated system on two earthquake simulators was sub-
jected to uni-, bi-, and tridirectional harmonic and near-field
earthquake shaking. The experimental results demonstrated the
Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by CRRI - Central Road Research Institute on 01/09/18. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.
effectiveness of the XY-FP bearings as an uplift-prevention isola-
tion system. The XY-FP bearings simultaneously resisted signifi-
cant tensile loads and functioned as seismic isolators. The uni-
and bidirectional 共horizontal兲 harmonic excitations were used to
assess both the bidirectional interaction of the rails of the bearings
and the force-displacement characteristics of the XY-FP bearings.
The bidirectional horizontal response of the small-scale XY-FP
isolation system was coupled due to both the internal construction
of the small-scale connectors that joined the two rails of each
XY-FP bearing and the reduction of the free-to-rotate capacity of
the XY-FP bearings due to misalignment of the isolators during
installation beneath the model. The coupling led to the transfer of
moment between the rails in a given bearing and undesirable
torsion in the isolation system. The lateral–torsional coupling of
the XY-FP isolation system under unidirectional excitation was
evident because 共1兲 shear forces developed in both horizontal
directions and 共2兲 the force-displacement relationships of the
XY-FP bearings varied from the idealized case.
The earthquake-simulator tests confirmed prior observations
regarding the minor effect of vertical shaking on the horizontal
displacement response of sliding isolation systems and the in-
crease in peak shear forces associated with the vertical component
of shaking.
Numerical analyses of the truss-bridge model subjected to the
harmonic excitations and some of the harmonic test results vali-
dated the idealization of stick-slip motion using the Bouc–Wen
equation. However, these fluctuations had no significant impact
on the global response of the isolated truss bridge model.
Experimental and numerical responses of the truss-bridge
model identified the variation in the XY-FP isolation system re-
sponses with changes in bearing axial load. During bidirectional
共horizontal兲 excitation, the axial loads on the bearings link the
orthogonal responses of the XY-FP isolation system. In XY-FP
isolated superstructures having a large ratio of length-to-width,
such as the bridge superstructures, the bearing axial load can be
dominated by the transverse overturning moments and the varia-
tion in bearing axial load should be considered in the analysis and
design of such structures.
For applications of the XY-FP bearing in the field, the connec-
tor must be detailed to deliver the required free-to-rotate angle, all
bearings should be tested to demonstrate sufficient free-to-rotate
capacity, and installation specifications should be provided to
avoid undesirable bearing misalignment.
Acknowledgments
Financial support for this project was provided in part by Earth-
quake Protection Systems, Inc., Vallejo, Calif. Dr. Gordon Warn
assisted with the experimental program and constructed the truss–
bridge model described in this paper. The support of EPS and the
assistance of Dr. Warn and the laboratory staff at the Structural
JOURNAL OF BRIDGE ENGINEERING © ASCE / MAY/JUNE 2009 / 201
J. Bridge Eng., 2009, 14(3): 193-202
Engineering and Earthquake Simulation Laboratory at the Univer-
sity at Buffalo is gratefully acknowledged. Any opinions, findings
and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this manuscript
are those of the writers alone.
Notation
The following symbols are used in this paper:
A ⫽ dimensionless quantity that control the shape of the
hysteresis loop;
B ⫽ dimensionless quantity that control the shape of the
hysteresis loop;
Fx ⫽ horizontal resisting shear force in the x-direction;
Fy ⫽ horizontal resisting shear force in the y-direction;
N ⫽ normal force;
Rx ⫽ radius of curvature of the rails in the x-direction;
Ry ⫽ radius of curvature of the rails in the y-direction;
Ux ⫽ lateral displacement of the isolator relative to the
substructure in the x-direction;
Uy ⫽ lateral displacement of the isolator relative to the
substructure in the y-direction;
U̇x ⫽ lateral velocity of the isolator relative to the substructure
in the x-direction;
U̇y ⫽ lateral velocity of the isolator relative to the substructure
in the y-direction;
Y x ⫽ yield displacement in the x-direction;
Y y ⫽ yield displacement in the y-direction;
Zx ⫽ hysteretic dimensionless quantity in the x-direction to
account for the stick-slip conditions;
Zy ⫽ hysteretic dimensionless quantity in the y-direction to
account for the stick-slip conditions;
␤ ⫽ dimensionless quantity that control the shape of the
hysteresis loop;
␥ ⫽ dimensionless quantity that control the shape of the
hysteresis loop;
␮hx ⫽ velocity- and pressure-dependent coefficient of friction
of the bearing in the x-direction; and
␮hy ⫽ velocity- and pressure-dependent coefficient of friction
of the bearing in the y-direction.
References
Bouc, R. 共1971兲. “Modele mathematique d’hysteresis.” Acustica, 24, 16–
25.
Constantinou, M. C., Tsopelas, P. C., Kasalanati, A. and Wolff, E. 共1999兲.
“Property modification factors for seismic isolation bearings.” Tech-
nical Rep. No. MCEER-99-0012, Multidisciplinary Center for Earth-
quake Engineering Research, State Univ. of New York at Buffalo,
Buffalo, N.Y.
Marin-Artieda, C. C., Whittaker, A. S., and Constantinou, M. C. 共2007兲.
“Experimental and analytical study of the XY-friction pendulum 共XY-
FP兲 bearing for bridge applications.” Technical Rep. No. MCEER-07-
0009, MCEER, State Univ. of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, N.Y.
Mokha, A., Constantinou, M. C., and Reinhorn, A. M. 共1988兲. “Teflon
bearings in a seismic base isolation: Experimental studies and math-
ematical modeling.” Technical Rep. No. NCEER-88-0038, National
Center for Earthquake Engineering Research, State Univ. of New
York at Buffalo, Buffalo, N.Y.
Mosqueda, G., Whittaker, A. S., and Fenves, G. L. 共2004兲. “Character-
ization and modeling of friction pendulum bearing subjected to mul-
tiple components excitations.” J. Struct. Eng., 130共3兲, 433–442.
Park, Y. J., Wen, Y. K., and Ang, A. H. 共1986兲. “Random vibrations of
 hysteretic system under bi-directional ground motions.” Earthquake
Eng. Struct. Dyn., 14共4兲, 543–557.
Roussis, P. C., and Constantinou, M. C. 共2005兲. “Experimental and ana-
lytical studies of structures seismically isolated with an uplift-restraint
isolation system.” Technical Rep. No. MCEER-05-0001, Multidisci-
plinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research, State Univ. of
New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, N.Y.
Roussis, P. C., and Constantinou, M. C. 共2006兲. “Uplift-restraining fric-
tion pendulum seismic isolation system.” Earthquake Eng. Struct.
Dyn., 35共5兲, 577–593.
Tsopelas, P., and Constantinou, M. C. 共1994兲. “NCEER-TAISEI Corpo-
ration research program on sliding seismic isolation systems for
Downloaded from ascelibrary.org by CRRI - Central Road Research Institute on 01/09/18. Copyright ASCE. For personal use only; all rights reserved.
bridges: Experimental and analytical study of systems consisting of
sliding bearings and fluid restoring force/damping devices.” Technical
Rep. No. NCEER-94-0014, National Center for Earthquake Engineer-
ing Research, State Univ. of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, N.Y.
202 / JOURNAL OF BRIDGE ENGINEERING © ASCE / MAY/JUNE 2009
J. Bridge Eng., 2009, 14(3): 193-202
Tsopelas, P., Constantinou, M. C., and Reinhorn, A. M. 共1994兲. “3D-
BASIS-ME: Computer program for nonlinear dynamic analysis of
seismically isolated single and multiple structures and liquid storage
tanks.” Technical Rep. No. NCEER-94-0010, National Center for
Earthquake Engineering Research, State Univ. of New York at Buf-
falo, Buffalo, N.Y.
Warn, G. P., and Whittaker, A. S. 共2006兲. “A study of the coupled
horizontal-vertical behavior of elastomeric and lead-rubber seismic
isolation bearings.” Technical Rep. No. MCEER-06-0011, Multidisci-
plinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research, State Univ. of
New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, N.Y.
Warn, G. P., and Whittaker, A. S. 共2008兲. “Vertical earthquake loads on
seismic isolation systems in bridges.” J. Struct. Eng., 134共11兲, 1696–
1704.
Wen, Y. K. 共1976兲. “Method of random vibration of hysteretic systems.”
J. Engrg. Mech. Div., 102共2兲, 249–263.