The period of the Friction PendulumTM bearing is selected simply by choosing the radius of curvature of the concave surface. It is independent of the mass of the supported structure. The damping is selected by choosing the friction coefficient. Torsion motions of the structure are minimized because the center of stiffness of the bearings automatically coincides with the center of mass of the supported structure. The bearing’s period, vertical load capacity, damping, displacement capacity, and tension capacity, can all be selected independently. For the Triple PendulumTM bearing, three effective radii and three friction coefficients are selected to optimize performance for different strengths and frequencies of earthquake shaking. This allows for maximum design flexibility to accommodate both moderate and extreme motions, including near-fault pulses.
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