Controlling seismic response of eccentric structures by friction dampers

Abstract

AbstractPrevious studies have demonstrated the good performance of friction dampers in symmetric frame structures subjected to earthquake excitation. This paper examines their effectiveness in asymmetric structures where lateral‐torsional coupling characterizes the behaviour. A parametric study is first performed employing an idealized single‐storey structure; this is followed by the example of a three‐dimensional 5‐storey prototype structure equipped with friction dampers. The parametric results show that it is necessary to tune the friction damped braces with respect to both the stiffness of the braces and the slip load of the devices. For properly tuned structures, maximum response for all magnitudes of eccentricity between the centres of stiffness and mass is reduced to levels equal to or less than that of the corresponding symmetric structure. Compared to this prediction, the prototype structure with friction damped bracing exhibits the desired improvement in performance; namely, the devices slip at all storey levels while the frames remain elastic.