Graphene–Rubber Layered Functional Composites for Seismic Isolation of Structures

Abstract

Herein, novel graphene-reinforced elastomeric isolators (GREI) are proposed. Elastomeric isolators (EIs) are special devices used for seismic isolation of structures. They are made of alternate layers of steel and rubber (steel-reinforced EI [SREI]), and they position between the structure and its foundations to decouple them. The heavy weight and complex manufacturing process of SREI drives costs up, and this restricts their use to strategic buildings such as hospitals and civic centers. In recent years, alternative materials have been proposed to replace the steel sheets of SREI, e.g., glass or carbon fiber-reinforced EIs (FREIs). However, their mechanical behavior requires further investigation before being implemented in existing and new structures safely. As a promising alternative, GREI is proposed here to overcome the heavy weight and long manufacturing process of SREI and the mechanical limitation of FREI to seismic excitations.