A state-of-the-art review on negative stiffness mechanism for safer structures in seismic areas.

Abstract

In recent years, the concept of negative stiffness mechanism (NSM) has become a prominent research area and cherished a noteworthy amount of observations in the design of dampers for effective seismic protection of structures, and the NSM can be developed by employing negative stiffness device (NSD) which has a stored pre-compressive force and it simulates structural system weakening without inelastic excursions or irreversible deformations. Large base deformation is a fundamental restriction in base-isolated structural systems, but this can be solved with NSD in which the isolation of the structure is achieved throughout the building, not specifically at the base. According to simulations, placing NSDs on the lower levels can significantly reduce the acceleration of the superstructure and base shear without influencing the drifts. This article provides a thorough overview of contemporary research and advancements in the domain of negative stiffness vibration isolation, which initiates with an introduction on the concept of base isolation, negative stiffness device, its origin, working principle, and besides the employment of the negative stiffness concept in various fields for vibration isolation with solid conclusions.