Experimental study of a hybrid structural damper for multi-seismic levels Available to Purchase

Passive energy-dissipating devices or dampers applied as structural fuses are appealing alternatives to traditional earthquake-resisting design approaches. In this paper, two dual-performance designs are introduced as alternatives to the standard steel-plate yielding and friction damper. The new devices are detailed and designed to absorb and dissipate seismic input energy at different levels of ground motion. Both systems are composed of a main fuse to dissipate energy at high-level drift demands encountered in severe earthquakes but also have an auxiliary fuse to control the responses at lower drift demands that normally occur in moderate earthquakes. Six specimens with different specifications were designed and tested. The experimental results prove the efficiency of the dampers at different levels of ground motion. In moderate-level ground motion intensities, the dual-performance characteristics of the dampers permit energy dissipation in the auxiliary fuse without disturbing the main fuse. In high-intensity ground motions, the main fuses are engaged with significant energy-dissipating capability. Moreover, significant enhancements were observed in the plastic rotation capacity of the dampers and the ductility provided. A finite-element model of the dampers was created and close agreement was observed between the numerical and experimental results.