SEISMIC ISOLATION SYSTEMS

Seismic isolation is not a new concept; it was invented almost 130 years ago and it has been theorized and implemented throughout the world. Many engineers would admit seismic isolation ismaybe the best way to build safe structures in seismic regions. Yet, seismic isolation is rarely seenin US structures. This stems from several challenges; cultural, regulatory barriers, technical expertiseand maybe the most important in the US, the economics of seismic isolation designs.

Today there are many different seismic isolation types with the most prominent ones being the elastomeric-based systems (high damping rubber bearings, lead core rubber bearings) and the sliding-based systems (friction pendulums). These isolators are all fairly unique from each other except the fact that they are engineered as a single device to dissipate energy and restore thestructure to its pre-displaced posistion.

SEISMIC ISOLATION TODAY

Los Angeles Fire Command Center

Seismically Isolated by DYMAT® Systems

FEATURES & BENEFITS

DYMAT® takes a different approach and separates the

energy dissipation from the system’s restoring

mechanism, allocating the two functions to different

devices. Thus, the DYMAT® Dual Seismic Isolation

(DuSI) System greatly reduces the manufacturing

costs of the isolators and simplifies the construction

installation. By lowering the

total cost of seismic isolation,

the feasibility of the use of this

technology is greatly improved

for future projects.Figure 1: DYMAT® DuSI Seismic Isolation System

• Simple and low cost to manufacture

• Light weight and easy to install

• Can be designed for a predominant (first mode) period of up to 5 seconds

• Can accommodate lower base shears than traditional systems

• Tailors easily to design parameters

• Provides pseudo yielding effect if the Maximum Credible Earthquake (MCE) is exceeded

• No obligation design recommendations available

• Accommodates global structural twisting

• Can withstand significant differential loading between isolators

THE DYMAT® DuSI SYSTEM

SEISMIC PROTECTION DEVICES

DYMAT® designs and manufactures nearly every type of “traditional” passive seismic protection

devices, i.e., all types of elastomeric bearings, shear keys, lead-rubber bearings, and flat &

curved sliders. DYMAT® devices have been used in numerous infrastructure and building projects

throughout the World.

The DYMAT® Dual Seismic Isolation (DuSI) System is a seismic isolation system that utilizes

DYMAT® Performance Slider (PS) Bearings in combination with the new DYMAT® Carbon-Fiber

Reinforced (CFR) Bearings. The DYMAT® PS Bearings provide the energy dissipation while the

DYMAT® CFR Bearings provide the restoring force to the structure.

The structural engineer can easily tailor the system to

the desired performance by either changing the ratio

of DYMAT® PS Bearings to DYMAT® CFR Bearings or

increasing/decreasing the bearing area of the DYMAT®

PS Bearings.

Figure 3: DYMAT® Dual Seismic Isolation (DuSI) System– A Case Study

Performance

Figure 2: DYMAT® CFR Bearings tested at UC Berkeley

The Figure 3 graph is from a case study of a large

seismic isolation project in South America. It prompltly

shows the versatility of the DYMAT® DuSI System in

achieving the desired period and energy dissipation

characteristics of the seismic isolation system.

THE NEW DYMAT® CFR BEARINGS

DYMAT® was founded in 2012 by Edward R. Fyfe to enhance the

characteristics of materials and products through resilience, performance,

and sustainability. The inventor of the disc bearing and a prolific innovator of

fiber-reinforced polymers, Edward R. Fyfe, has been innovating novel solutions

for infrastructure for almost 40 years. DYMAT® is the culmination of many

companies and a vast network of experience aimed at one goal: to develop

dynamic materials and products to enhance structural performance.

DYMAT® COMPANY HISTORY

1341 Ocean Avenue Del Mar, CA 92014 P 858.353.2458 F 858.259.3872 E info@dymatinc.com

www.dymatinc.com

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