Abstract

This paper presents a survey of the numerical simulation of base isolation systems for the vibration control of
buildings and their equipment, primarilly against earthquakes. Base isolation has received much attention in
the recent twenty years and many buildings have been protected using this technology. The article focusses
mainly on the different numerical methods used in the analysis of base isolated buildings. The conventional
form of solving the equations of motion governing the seismic response of building structures with nonlinear
base isolation consists of using monolithic step by step integration methods. As an effcient alternative, static
condensation and block iterative schemes can be applied. The particularities of the equations of motion
of buildings equiped with various base isolation systems are described. The linear theory of base isolated
buildings is then presented. After this, numerical solution techniques for the analysis of the seismic response
of buildings with isolation systems are developed in detail in the paper. Finally, numerical results for elastic
and inelastic structures are described. A complete set of references coverning a wide range of studies is
included.