Layered composite entangled wire materials blocks as pre-tensioned vertebral rocking columns

This work focuses on entangled wire materials as an option for use between segments of a novel self-centring bridge pier inspired from the human spine mechanism to increase energy dissipation capability of the pier in rocking. A comprehensive set of free-decay vibration tests was conducted on small-scale columns with and without entangled wire materials. Wooden blocks are used as vertebrae with entangled wire materials as intervertebral disks. The whole system is tied together using a pre-tensioned tendon. Dynamic properties of columns (i.e. frequency and damping ratio) were then identified and compared. It is found that the use of entangled wire materials significantly increases the energy dissipation capacity of the system during rocking. This finding is very encouraging for future use of entangled wire materials composite systems in large-scale testing of the proposed rocking column, while their shear and axial stiffness needs be improved to reduce large shear and axial deformations.