Experimental investigation of the behavior of Variable Friction base isolation systems

This paper describes a preliminary experimental study aimed at investigating the force-dis-placement behavior of Variable Friction base isolation Systems (VFSs). The results of the ex-periments are also used to provide some preliminary validation of a previously developed numerical model. Full-scale VFS prototypes were tested under cyclic loading conditions. A series of dynamic hybrid tests simulating the response of a full-scale single-story structure iso-lated with VFS devices and subjected to ground motions with different intensities, was also performed. Overall, the results of the experiments were in good agreement with the predictions provided by the numerical analyses.