Study on the Mechanical Properties and Monitoring of Castable Polyurethane Elastomeric Bearings

As bridge structures have advanced, the demand for higher bearing capacity has increased. Castable Polyurethane Elastomeric Bearings have gained attention due to their strong load-bearing capacity and straightforward manufacturing process. This paper focuses on the development of a polyurethane seismic isolation bearing and examines its microscopic and mechanical properties. Additionally, a flexible strain sensor was created using polyurethane as the polymer substrate and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) as the conductive particles. The sensor's force-electric sensing behavior was systematically analyzed, and its effectiveness in monitoring the deformation of laminated isolation bearings was verified.