Elastomeric Bearings: State‐of‐the‐Art

Abstract

Elastomeric bearings are widely used by structural engineers, but their behavior is not well understood. The paper provides a brief description of the state of knowledge throughout the world with respect to these bearings. It summarizes the material behavior of elastomers and the theoretical and experimental research on bearings. It notes the various modes of failure, and the major design methods are described and compared. There are wide variations in standard practice throughout the world, and the contradictions and reasons behind the variations are noted. The objective of the paper is to help the structural engineer get a better understanding of the design and selection of elastomeric bearings.