Seismic response reduction of a three-story building by an MR grease damper

Abstract

This paper describes an application of magneto- rheological (MR) grease dampers as seismic dampers for a three-story steel structure. MR fluid is widely known as a smart material with rheological properties that can be varied by magnetic field strength. This material has been applied to various types of devices, such as dampers, clutches, and engine mounts. However, the ferromagnetic particles dispersed in MR fluid settle out of the suspension after a certain interval because of the density difference between the particles and their carrier fluid. To overcome this defect, we developed a new type of controllable working fluid using grease as the carrier of magnetic particles. MR grease was introduced into a cylindrical damper, and the seismic performance of the damper was subsequently studied via numerical analysis. The analysis results of the MR grease damper were compared with those of other seismic dampers. We confirmed that the MR grease damper is an effective seismic damper.