Optimal design of superelastic lead rubber bearing (S-LRB) under cyclic loading employing various smart material

Abstract This study investigates the influence of different type of shape memory alloys (SMAs) as smart material on the performance enhancement of superelastic lead rubber bearing (S-LRB), and further examines the various configurations impact on the design of S-LRB. For this, S-LRB has been developed by augmenting different types of SMA wire (NiTi, Fe-based, and Cu-based) with LRB, in different configurations (X, V, and W shaped). Through the finite element (FE) analysis in ABAQUS software, effect of different SMA materials and different configuration are evaluate on the force-displacement behaviour, re-centering ability, and energy dissipation capacity of S-LRB, over the LRB. Numerical results demonstrate that, the Fe-based SMA outperforms NiTi and Cu-based SMAs, in terms of the recentering capability and energy dissipation, and therefore making it the most effective choice for vibration control application. Among various SMA configurations, the W-shaped arrangement exhibits the highest energy dissipation and damping ratio, followed by the V-shaped and X-shaped configurations. These findings provide valuable insights into the selection of optimal SMA configurations for S-LRB isolator, facilitating the design of S-LRB system tailored for specific performance requirements.