Viscoelastic dampers for civil engineering structures: A systematic review of constructions, materials, and applications

Abstract

Viscoelastic dampers (VEDs) are widely acclaimed for their dual effectiveness in mitigating vibrations from seismic events and wind loads, providing both damping and stiffness for versatile applications. Nonetheless, conventional VEDs encounter challenges due to their limited structural types, narrow application scenarios, and significant performance variations across different temperature ranges. The innovation and advancement of high-performance viscoelastic damping materials (VDMs) constitute a pivotal strategy for substantially enhancing energy dissipation capabilities. In addition, researchers have proposed novel types, combining VEDs with dampers made of other types of damping materials, and other strategies to achieve excellent energy dissipation capacity. Despite these developments, decades of research on these dampers remain highly fragmented across the academic community. Therefore, this paper first reviews the traditional types and installation configurations of VEDs. Then, the advantages and limitations of the development of novel VDMs are discussed in detail, and the innovative types and installation configurations of VEDs are presented. Meanwhile, the mechanical characteristics and advancement of hybrid damper systems composed of VDMs and other damping materials are highlighted, including VEDs with shape memory alloys (SMAs), friction dampers, mild steel dampers, and lead dampers, among others. Furthermore, the mechanical models and seismic design methods of structures with VEDs, as well as classic engineering applications, are reviewed. Finally, the key issues that need to be explored in the future are outlined to drive the widespread adoption and effective implementation of VEDs.