Passive Energy Dissipation Devices Research Articles

A systematic review of hybrid passive energy dissipating devices

Once earthquakes occur, they release a considerable amount of elastic strain energy, which is measured by Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA). To reduce the impact of this energy, buildings can be fitted with dampers. These include passive energy dissipation devices, which are effective in mitigating the effects of both high and low PGA. Hybrid dampers, which combine multiple devices, enhance strengths and minimize weaknesses, significantly improving a building’s seismic resilience by reducing roof displacement, drift, inter-story, floor acceleration, and base shear. These dampers are the focus of extensive research, emphasizing their role in seismic performance enhancement. Despite numerous studies, their application in concrete structures remains underexplored, presenting a vast scope for advancement in the design, development, and implementation of hybrid damping devices. These devices are particularly valued for their superior vibration control capabilities, offering a promising avenue for bolstering structural stability.

Effect of rubber properties on the performance of Visco-Hyperelastic Damper (VHD)

Visco-Hyperelastic Damper (VHD) is a combination of a viscoelastic (VE) material sandwiched between two metal belt rings. This VE material as the main part has a high impact on the damper performance. The rubber can induce acceptable performance of the damper in energy dissipation, even at very low levels of seismic excitations. Also, changing the dimensions or material of the rubber can change the performance of the damper according to the required behavior in the structure and can also provide the desired balance between stiffness and damping, which is one of the major problems of passive energy dissipation devices. Also, the large dimensions of the VE material can increase the efficiency of this material in the damper. Therefore, in this study, the effect of rubber on the performance of VHD is investigated using the FEM ABAQUS software, in three ways. First, the effect of rubber at different levels of excitation is investigated, second, the impact of adding rubber is assessed, and finally, the effect of the type of rubber on the overall behavior of the damper is studied. The high effect of VE material on damper behavior is shown in the results, where the rubber part in the general shape of the VHD dissipates up to more than 90 % of the input energy at low levels of excitation. Besides, the change of the type of rubber material has a great impact on the performance of the damper up to 600 % as well as its behavioral form.

Experimental study on the coordinated behavior of the Combined Viscous-Steel Damping System (CVSDS) for multi-level seismic mitigation

Passive energy dissipation devices, such as the viscous fluid damper (VFD) and the steel yielding damper (SYD), are widely adopted to alleviate structural seismic responses. The Combined Viscous-Steel Damping System (CVSDS) is proposed as a hybrid passive damping device for multi-level seismic mitigation. As two components in the CVSDS, VFD, and SYD are adopted to resist frequent and rare earthquakes, respectively. This study aims to investigate and compare the seismic behavior of CVSDS, VFD, and SYD by shake table tests. Seismic excitations with different intensities are applied to a single-degree-of-freedom system. The comparison of displacement and hysteresis behavior is analyzed by time history analysis and Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) method in the time domain. The time-frequency characteristics are explored by the Wavelet Transform (WT) in the frequency domain. The results indicate that the locking function of the CVSDS remains inactive during low-intensity earthquakes, but is triggered during high-intensity ones. Locking depends on the preset locking force and external loads. Both the analyses in the time domain and frequency domain demonstrate that prior to locking, CVSDS and standalone VFD display similar characteristics, but locked CVSDS resembles standalone SYD. CVSDS allows for VFD with smaller tonnage and stronger vibration control capacity. Increased vibration frequency will be observed in the locked CVSDS during strong earthquakes due to the supplementary stiffness of the SYD.

Evaluation of the Seismic Performance of Single-Plate Metallic Slit Dampers Using Experimental and Numerical Data

Passive energy dissipation systems and devices are helpful in mitigating the danger of earthquake damage to structures. Metallic slit dampers (MSDs) are one of the most efficient and cost-effective solutions for decreasing seismic energy intake. The potential importance of MSDs in managing vibrations and limiting structural fatigue continues to grow as research advances and new materials and designs are introduced. This study evaluated the seismic performance of single-plate MSDs (SPMSDs) through a combination of numerical simulation and assessment of experimental results. ABAQUS software was used to create an assembly consisting of endplates, bolts, and SPMSDs. A real-world earthquake scenario was simulated using cyclic loads based on ASCE/SEI standards, and displacement-measuring devices such as strain gauges and LVDT were employed to record the behavior of the SPMSDs. The results of the experiment are used to assess the compliance of the SPMSDs and discuss their behavior as they undergo minimum and maximum displacements due to minimum and maximum applied forces. The energy dissipation capabilities of the dampers are presented by analyzing and comparing the area of their hysteresis loops, equivalent viscous damping, and their damping ratios. Actual failure modes are identified and shown to describe the limitations and potential vulnerability of the dampers. The relative error between the lowest and greatest recorded forces from experimental data and numerical simulation ranges from 4.4% to 5.7% for SPMSD 1 and from 1.6% to 2.1% for SPMSD 2, respectively. These deviation values represent a satisfactory level of precision, demonstrating that the numerical simulation accurately predicts the actual performance and behavior of the dampers when subjected to cyclic stress. The topology optimization performed in this study yielded an improved geometry of the SPMSD suited for a corresponding maximum considered earthquake (MCER) displacement of ±33 mm. This research also suggests practical implementations of the investigated and improved SPMSDs.

Cyclic behavior of a slit damper proposed for precast concrete beam-column connections

Since the 2017 Puebla-Morelos Earthquake, interest in limiting damage to structural components has exponentially increased in Mexico. Consequently, the use of energy dissipation devices has received renewed attention. Following that line, this paper studies an attractive solution, which is a slit damper proposed as a passive energy dissipation device for, but not limited to, precast beam-column connections. Slit dampers have been studied for their cost-effectiveness and ease of application. They present stable hysteretic behavior and dissipate substantial amounts of energy under cyclic loading while maintaining less ductile elements essentially elastic. The structural behavior of the proposed device was evaluated theoretically, followed by experimental verification. Quasi-static incremental and constant-amplitude cyclic tests were conducted on eight specimens, with two of them having non-uniform struts. Test results are presented and discussed, emphasizing ductility and energy dissipation capacity. The proposed damper showed stable hysteretic behavior and adequate seismic performance. Using non-uniform struts significantly increased the damper's deformation capacity and fatigue performance, which is desirable for seismic zones where long-duration earthquakes are expected, such as in Mexico City. Numerical modeling techniques were also validated with finite element analyses. It was shown that the proposed damper's hysteretic response could be accurately predicted using the combined non-linear isotropic and kinematic hardening model.

Explainable machine learning models for probabilistic buckling stress prediction of steel shear panel dampers

Steel shear panel dampers are widely used as passive energy-dissipation devices in earthquake-resistant structures. The out-of-plane buckling stress of the core plate included in the steel shear panel damper is critical for obtaining the desired lateral force-resistant and hysteretic energy-absorbing capacities. However, the existing calculation method of buckling stress of the steel shear panel damper cannot well address the effects of the steel material’s and geometries’ inherent uncertainties. This paper intends to develop the probabilistic buckling stress prediction models of steel shear panel dampers using machine learning methods considering the steel material’s and geometries’ uncertainties. To this end, the nominal buckling stress prediction models are first developed using different machine learning algorithms based on finite element analysis results where the efficiency of the finite element models has been validated through test results. The analysis results confirm the highest accuracy of the artificial neural network (ANN) model. The SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) and feature importance analysis methods are adopted for interpreting the developed prediction models. The analysis results indicate that the yielding stress of steel (fy), the height-to-width ratio (α), the width-to-thickness ratio (β), and the initial imperfection (δ) show significant influences on the nominal buckling stress of the steel panel damper while the thickness of the core plate (t) shows negligible effects. The probabilistic buckling stress prediction models are further developed based on the trained ANN model considering the combined uncertainties of steel materials and geometries by the Latin hypercube sampling method. The efficiency of the developed probabilistic buckling stress prediction models is confirmed by capturing the probability density of the numerical simulation results. The global sensitivity analysis (GSA) method is introduced for investigating the influence of the design parameters on the discreteness of the probabilistic buckling stress. It has been found from the analysis results that the uncertainties of the yielding stress of steel (fy) and the initial imperfection (δ) have significant influence, that of the height-to-width ratio (α) have limited influence, and that of the width-to-thickness ratio (β) and the thickness of the core plate (t) have negligible influence on the buckling stress of the steel panel damper. For practical application, the interactive software named “PBSSD” is developed and provided for predicting the probabilistic buckling stress by inputting the nominal design parameters of steel material and geometries.

Generalized friction panel: An innovative passive energy dissipation device for structures subjected to seismic loading

Passive energy dissipation devices are frequently used in structures subjected to seismic action because they do not require an external source of energy. Recent research on this field has focused on passive dissipation panels. A novel type of passive panel called generalized friction panel (GFP) is proposed in this paper. GFP consists of an external metallic frame with horizontal girders placed at different heights. Parallelepiped solid lead blocks having the ability to slide in the horizontal direction within the panel's plane are positioned on the girders. Energy is dissipated by means of the work done by the friction force on the sliding blocks. Experimental and numerical studies were carried out to test the panel's ability to dissipate energy. Firstly, a real scale prototype of a GFP was built and tested on a shaking table. Acceleration and displacement histories of the prototype were measured at certain points. Tests with fixed blocks were carried out to assess the device's capacity to reduce displacements. Experimental results show that GFPs with sliding blocks exhibit lower displacements than GFPs with fixed blocks. Additionally, a simplified frame-based model of a GFP including discrete elements to consider stick-slip motion with Coulomb friction was developed. Good agreement between numerical and test results was observed.

Damping performance of the degraded fluid viscous damper due to oil leakage

As a typical passive energy dissipation device, fluid viscous dampers (FVDs) are widely employed to alleviate seismic-induced structural vibration. However, oil leakage often occurs in FVDs, which has been identified as a critical factor that may cause deterioration in their mechanical behaviors. This study aims to evaluate the damping performance of the leaked FVD. To obtain the mechanical properties, a series of cyclic tests were conducted on a large-tonnage FVD with different oil leakage levels. The performance degradation mechanism was revealed through the finite element method, and analytical models for simulating the hysteresis characteristics of the leaked FVD were established and verified. A long-span cable-stayed bridge subjected to harmonic excitations was used as a case study to show the impact of leakage and load intensity on the bridge responses and the damper performance. The results reveal that oil leakage will cause a “gap” phenomenon in the hysteresis curves (i.e., the damper does not generate damping force), but it will not alter the mechanical parameters of the FVD following the gap has been consumed. The reason for this phenomenon is that air would flow through the orifices prior to silicone oil when being compressed. A negative correlation is found between the vibration mitigation effectiveness of FVD and the leakage level. However, the degree of performance degradation will be minimized when subjected to higher-intensity excitations. A leaked FVD is more prone to force-exceeding and stroke-exceeding failures thus it should be replaced soon.

Seismic performance of the combined viscous-steel damping system suffering from oil leakage

The combined viscous-steel damping system is a passive energy dissipation device consisting of a fluid viscous damper and a steel yielding damper in series. However, many viscous dampers installed in structures have been suffering from severe oil leakage. This study aims to assess the influence of the leaked viscous damper on the seismic performance of the combined system. Cyclic tests were conducted on the viscous damper with different leakage levels to obtain its degraded hysteretic performance. The modeling method of the leaked viscous damper was proposed according to the experimental result. The locking behavior and seismic mitigation effectiveness of the combined system suffering from oil leakage were investigated based on a single-degree-of-freedom system. The result reveals that (i) The leaked viscous damper cannot generate damping force at the beginning of the reverse movement of its piston, which is reflected in the hysteretic curves as a “gap” phenomenon. (ii) The proposed modeling method can accurately simulate the damping characteristics of the leaked viscous damper. (iii) In spite of the leakage severity, the combined system possesses reliable locking behavior and decent vibration mitigation effectiveness under earthquakes. (iv) The combined system is superior to the viscous damper in mitigating seismic-induced displacement when suffering from oil leakage.

Optimum sizing design of steel frame structures through maximum energy dissipation of friction dampers under seismic excitations

This paper focuses on optimum sizing design of steel frame structures equipped with friction dampers (FDs) in order to prevent the vulnerable effect of an earthquake. The fundamental concept is to maximize the energy dissipation of implemented FDs under different seismic excitations. The FDs utilized as passive energy dissipation devices in a steel structure increase the energy dissipation capacity of the structure by decreasing the seismic demand during an earthquake. In this context, the Pall friction dampers (PFDs) are implemented as diagonal damped brace members in investigated structures. Three different earthquake records (Kobe, Kocaeli-Duzce, Erzincan) are utilized to acquire nonlinear dynamic responses of the steel frame structures through time-history analyses. The open application programming interface (OAPI) functions are used to integrate a finite element modelling based structural analysis program, SAP2000, with a design optimization algorithm encoded in MATLAB for achieving the exact structural behaviours by synchronously data transferring. As an optimizer, one of the recent nature-inspired metaheuristic techniques, so-called Grey Wolf (GW) algorithm is used. Initially, under effect of seismic excitations, the steel frame structures are optimally sized for attaining minimum design weights without implementing the PFD elements by subjecting only strength, displacement, drift, and geometric structural design constraints taken from AISC-LRFD practice code provisions. Afterward, in order for optimally modelling the PFD elements, the frames are equipped with PFDs to calculate optimum yield strengths that is defined as slip load of a PFD. To do so, the GW algorithm ensures the maximizing of the dissipated energy and controls the yield strengths between the stories since the shear force due to the earthquake increases towards the base of the structure. Eventually, the provisions-based sizing design optimizations of the steel frame structures equipped with optimally modelled PFD elements are conducted under seismic excitations for conclusive evaluations.

Comparative Study on Seismic Behavior of High–Rise Steel Building with and Without Friction Damper and Fluid Viscous Damper: A Review

Abstract: Seismic forces are induced on the structure present in earthquake prone areas. These are induced due to the movement of tectonic plates. Multi-storey buildings are those that have more than two stories, hence undergo large amount of deflection due to their slender structure. Due to the deflection caused by the ground accelerations during earthquakes, the structure is unstable and the structure undergoes damage which is not safe. Passive energy dissipation devices are gaining significance in design of earthquake resistant structures because of their effective performance in controlling seismic effects on structures during earthquake. Friction dampers and fluid viscous damper are passive energy dissipating devices which are used widely as seismic control devices. The present study was conducted analytically on a 15-storey steel frame with regular and irregular configuration and performance of structure against non-linear time history ground movement with and without friction damper and fluid viscous damper. Time history ground acceleration data of Bhuj earthquake (2001) were applied on the structure and the response of friction damper and fluid viscous damper was analyzed and compared. The analysis of the structure for the non-linear dynamic ground acceleration was conducted using ETABS software. The results show that when a friction damper is used instead of a fluid viscus damper, storey displacement is greatly reduced by 25.52%. whereas results shows that storey shear, storey drift, and storey acceleration are greatly reduced by 27.75%, 30.39% and 15.27%, when fluid viscous damper is used instead of a friction damper.

Study the Comparative Effect of Different Link Dampers on G+25 High Rise Buildings in Seismic Zone IV

Abstract: The usefulness of a high-rise building equipped with different types of link dampers (such as bilinear dampers, fluid viscous dampers, and frictional dampers) for the purpose of controlling seismic vibration is discussed in this study. Due to their safe, efficient, and cost-effective design, dampers have gained a lot of popularity in recent years for the purpose of controlling vibration in structures. They are frequently employed in structural vibration control to reduce seismic risks and, with the use of passive energy dissipation devices, can enhance the dynamic responsiveness of both new skyscrapers and existing high-rise structures. The structure's structural safety and serviceability are improved, and the controlling devices stop the building from collapsing during an earthquake, thereby greatly reducing damage. This paper would discuss the high rise RCC structures (G+25), with different Link dampers for seismic vibration control and study the effect of dampers on it using ETABS software.

Metallic Yielding Dampers and Fluid Viscous Dampers for Vibration Control in Civil Engineering: A Review

Structural vibration is a widespread issue occurred in the field of civil engineering. The passive energy dissipation devices are being increasingly popular for protecting structures from external excitations due to their high performance and no need for external energy. They can be divided into displacement-dependent dampers and velocity-dependent dampers, among which the metallic yielding dampers (MYDs) and fluid viscous dampers (FVDs) are the most representative. This paper presents an overview of the MYD and FVD, aiming to reveal their defects and provide suggestions for future development. The basic concept, the mechanical models, the design approaches, and the applications in civil engineering of the two dampers are reviewed. In particular, the obstacles in application and preference in research of these two dampers are summarized, and their merits and drawbacks are further discussed. Emphatically, the strategies for improvement and future development trends are explored.

Physics-informed deep neural networks for simulating S-shaped steel dampers

Numerical simulation that combines finite element methods and experimental data has been recognized as effective in modeling hysteretic behaviors and capturing the principle mechanical trend of passive energy dissipation devices. However, the seismic design and mechanical characteristics assessment for passive energy dissipation devices require a laborious effort and massive computational resources to tune mechanical-oriented parameters. Particularly, the potential risk of departure from the actual system is rising for the desirable seismic design of dampers due to the numerical model simplification and assumption. To eliminate the potential weakness of numerical models, this paper explores a surrogate model by implementing physics-informed deep neural networks (DNNs) to approximate hysteretic behaviors of S-shaped steel dampers. The proposed physics-informed DNNs mainly consists of recurrent neural networks (RNNs) and long short-term networks (LSTMs), which can encode the Bouc-Wen model into the direct graph and incorporate the effect of design-oriented geometry parameters. To validate the generality of the network, the optimization model was calibrated numerically and experimentally, respectively, which exhibits good performance in predicting nonlinear behaviors of different dampers with reasonable accuracy. The proposed physics-informed DNNs can be an alternative to relieve the laboriousness of the seismic design and mechanical characteristics assessment of passive energy dissipation devices.

Recent progress in buckling restrained braces: A review on material development and selection

Passive energy dissipation devices are a widely accepted solution used to improve the response of the structures under seismic conditions. While several types of passive energy dissipation elements have been proposed for replaceable elements, buckling restrained braces (BRB) was one of the most effective replaceable elements which has been used to retrofit frame structures in the past few years. A traditional BRB consists of a steel brace core with a cruciform cross section that is surrounded by a stiff steel tube (restraining unit) and unbonded materials to ensure the brace to move freely. The region between the tube and brace is filled with concrete-like materials. In recent years, a significant amount of research has been carried out on new types of BRBs which are more efficient and inexpensive. This paper presents an overview of recent advances in the development of BRB materials and buckling mechanism, with an emphasis on the material development for the restraining unit. The application of fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) as restraining unit in BRB is highlighted.

Performance based design of a new hybrid passive energy dissipation device for vibration control of reinforced concrete frames subjected to broad-ranging earthquake ground excitations

This paper evaluates a new hybrid passive device that comprises two different passive energy dissipation categories, namely, viscoelastic damper and friction damper. The device operates as a synergic unit using a novel locking mechanism. The hybrid passive device offsets the drawbacks of individual devices and facilitates improving the performance of structures for multiple excitation vibration levels due to wind and seismic events. Both devices are connected in a parallel combination using locking mechanisms and exhibit distinct hysteretic characteristics under small and significant deformation. The viscoelastic damper alone will be activated for extreme winds and minor to moderate earthquakes, and both devices will work simultaneously for strong earthquakes. Considering the advantages of such a new device, this article presents a new seismic design method structures equipped with a hybrid passive dampers device using the energy-balance concept. The method accounts for the structural member's inelastic behaviour, phase transformation of the stiffness and the energy dissipation capacity of the energy devices to achieve the intended performance level under the design earthquake hazard. The proposed method has been applied on a six- and a twelve-storied reinforced concrete building. The seismic performance is verified through nonlinear time history analysis using a set of near and far-field ground motions. Numerical results are investigated in terms of the inter-story drifts, the residual drifts, the floor acceleration and the yield mechanisms. The structure's performance corresponds well with the target performance levels.

Performance evaluation of friction dampers for building with soil-structure interaction

From ancient times, earthquakes have been considered the most devastating natural disaster. Many times, the damages caused by earthquakes are irrecoverable due to the static design of building structures. For the reduction of these damages, friction dampers are widely used as passive energy dissipation devices. As the friction dampers are designed with fixed base assumption, the effect of soil-structure interaction is totally neglected. Hence, the present study deals with the design methodology of friction damper incorporating soil-structure interaction effect. The slip load of friction dampers has been calculated by assuming a fixed base and flexible base (i.e. the linear and nonlinear behavior). The different models of a soil-foundation system were constructed using multilinear elements. The pushover analysis has been carried out to design the friction damper and the comparison of the same has also been done. Finally, a numerical study over different models was carried out to evaluate the performance of the friction dampers. The response was compared based on storey drift, member forces, and energy dissipated by friction dampers. It was found that the design of friction dampers by considering the non-linearity of soil leads to a realistic approach to seismic design.

Seismic Performance of the Inerter and Negative Stiffness–Based Dampers for Vibration Control of Structures

Passive energy dissipation devices or supplemental damping devices have been successfully implemented into structures for controlling the excessive vibrations under wind and seismic excitation. Recent developments in the form of negative stiffness dampers (NSDs) and inerter-based vibration absorbers (IVAs) as potential energy dissipation devices are of considerable interest to researchers. The present study evaluates the performance of the combined NSD and IVA as a possible alternative to the traditional energy dissipation devices such as viscous dampers (VDs) and viscoelastic dampers (VEDs). The mathematical formulation and optimal design of the combined NSD and IVA mechanism are presented. A 20-storey benchmark building is modeled as a multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) shear building. The dynamic equations for the MDOF building are written in the state-space form, and a simple optimization approach based on effective modal damping is prescribed. Comparative performance between traditionally applied and novel IVA and NSD is investigated. The design considerations to analyze structures employing combined NSDs and IVAs are developed. It is demonstrated that NSDs and IVA-based passive energy dissipation devices are the most efficient devices in reducing inter-storey drifts and floor accelerations compared with VDs and VEDs using the same damping coefficient.

Application of Viscous Damper and Laminated Rubber Bearing Pads for Bridges in Seismic Regions

Normally, Laminated Rubber Bearing Pads (LRBPs) are directly placed between girders and piers and their role is to provide the bridge span with horizontal movement, and to transmit the gravity loads from the deck to the piers. Although not designed for seismic loads, they can act as a fuse, partially isolating the substructure from the superstructure and keeping the piers intact during earthquakes. However, recent investigations show that large relative displacement of superstructure against substructure caused by sliding at bearing (sliding between girders and LRBPs) can cause expansion joint failure or even bridge span collapse. Accordingly, proper restrainers should be selected to prevent large displacement. Among all types of restrainers, viscous dampers as passive energy dissipation devices have shown a great capacity in damping earthquake energy. This study investigates the effectiveness of a VD-LRBP system, a viscous damper in conjunction with LRBPs, in dissipating energy and reducing the displacement of the superstructure with reference to the substructure caused by sliding at bearing during a seismic event. A Finite Element (FE) model was first developed and validated using available experimental and numerical results. With the validated model, a 3D Nonlinear Time History Analysis (NTHA) was conducted on a reinforced concrete bridge model under various records of earthquakes using OpenSees, an open-source finite element software. The relative displacement histories were recorded for the bridge in two cases: 1- with only LRBPs and 2- with viscous dampers and LRBPs (VD-LRBP system). The results of this study show that applying viscous dampers can reduce the relative displacement of the superstructure with reference to the substructure for up to 60 percent. As importantly, it can also reduce the residual displacement after the earthquake to near zero.

Dynamic Properties and Energy Dissipation Study of Sandwich Viscoelastic Damper Considering Temperature Influence

Viscoelastic dampers are a kind of classical passive energy dissipation and vibration control devices which are widely utilized in engineering fields. The mechanical properties and energy dissipation capacity of the viscoelastic damper are significantly affected by ambient temperature. In this work, dynamic properties tests of the sandwich type viscoelastic damper at different environmental temperatures are carried out. The equivalent fractional Kelvin model which can characterize the mechanical behavior of the viscoelastic damper with varying frequencies and temperatures is introduced to describe the dynamic properties and energy dissipation capability of the sandwich viscoelastic damper. The self-heating phenomenon of the sandwich viscoelastic damper is studied with a numerical simulation, and the dynamic properties and energy dissipation variation of the viscoelastic damper with self-heating processes are also analyzed. The results show that the dynamic properties of the viscoelastic damper are significantly affected by temperature, excitation frequency and the internal self-generated heating.