Jul 2026· Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers : Structures and buildings· 0 citations· 49 references
Abstract
The application and performance-oriented parameter optimisation of an overload-protected viscous damper (OP-VD) are investigated in this study to mitigate seismic responses and prevent excessive force transmission between adjacent structures. Within a performance-based seismic design framework, the damper parameters are systematically optimised to ensure that multiple response objectives are satisfied under varying seismic intensities. The OP-VD integrates a frictional overload protection mechanism with viscous energy dissipation, enabling an adaptive control strategy. This design ensures that damper forces are effectively capped under strong ground motions, while sufficient damping is provided under moderate excitations to control inter-storey drift and absolute structural acceleration. The mechanical characteristics and working principle are first clarified through detailed implementation and simulations. Subsequently, a coupled dynamic model of adjacent structures interconnected by the proposed damper is established for non-linear time-history analyses. Numerical simulation results demonstrate that under severe seismic inputs, the OP-VD successfully limits force transfer by way of the activation of the overload protection mechanism, thereby preventing structural overloading. In contrast, under moderate excitations, the viscous component dominates, leading to enhanced vibration attenuation. Consequently, the device achieves a balanced control of drift, acceleration and force demands, ensuring both structural safety under rare earthquakes and serviceability under frequent events.
Efficient and practical seismic control of structures-particularly through isolation systems-remains a significant challenge due to high implementation costs and construction complexity. Moreover, their application in retrofitting existing structures often requires extensive modifications.To address these challenges, this study proposes a novel and cost-effective seismic control system, termed the Ridge-Isolated Tuned Mass Damper (RITMD), which integrates the advantages of tuned mass damping and seismic isolation. A reduced-order two-degree-of-freedom (2DOF) model is developed to capture the coupled dynamic behavior of the primary structure and the RITMD system. An optimization framework based on the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm is employed to determine the optimal tuning parameters. Subsequently, closed-form design expressions are obtained using nonlinear regression analysis to facilitate practical engineering applications .The proposed approach is further extended to three-dimensional structural systems, and its performance is evaluated through nonlinear time-history analyses under bidirectional earthquake excitations. The results demonstrate that the RITMD system significantly reduces structural responses, including displacements, accelerations, inter-story drifts, torsional demands, and their corresponding root-mean-square (RMS) values.Overall, the proposed system provides an efficient, practical, and versatile solution for enhancing the seismic performance of both new and existing structures.
The inerter-based response amplification device for dampers has been proposed to enhance seismic resilience, yet its real-world dynamic behavior lacks experimental validation. This study investigates a Cam-Type Response-Amplification Friction Damper (CRAFD) through shaking table test of full-scale steel frame subjected to nine seismic records (including near/far-field events). Key findings reveal that the CRAFD achieves: (1) Target amplification of friction forces (8 kN vs lateral FD’s 1.2 kN) and inertial mass, inducing significant negative stiffness in the primary structure; (2) The natural frequency decreased by a maximum of 34% (from 2.9 Hz to 1.91 Hz) under 0.4 g inputs, and the equivalent damping ratio was significantly improved compared to traditional FD; (3) Higher displacement mitigation and acceleration reduction by maintaining sliding status, which elevates energy dissipation ratio and prevents structural damage; (4) CRAFD suppresses out-of-plane deformation in V-shape linkages. These results validate CRAFD’s efficacy in seismic response control for engineering applications.
Haoming Huang, Yuhong Ma, Guifeng Zhao et al.· Advances in Structural Engin...· 0 citations
To improve the seismic performance and post-earthquake recoverability of low- and mid-rise steel frames, this study investigates the seismic performance and layout strategy of a self-centering friction damper (SCFD) through experimental and numerical studies. The SCFD combines the superelastic restoring capability of shape memory alloy (SMA) bars with the energy dissipation provided by non-asbestos organic (NAO) friction materials. Monotonic and cyclic tests were conducted to characterize the mechanical behavior of Ni–50.8 at. % Ti SMA bars and the hysteretic performance of the SCFD, based on which a numerical model of the damper was established and validated. An uncontrolled frame and four controlled frames employing diagonal, chevron, improved lower toggle-brace, and improved upper toggle-brace layouts were comparatively investigated to evaluate the effects of brace configuration, installation position, and damper quantity on seismic performance. The proposed damper exhibited an equivalent damping ratio ranging from 24% to 32%. When the SMA strain exceeded 6%, the residual deformation of the damper increased significantly, indicating that excessive SMA deformation should be avoided in practical design. Among the investigated configurations, the improved upper toggle-brace layout, combined with additional dampers installed at the first story, showed the best overall performance. Compared with the uncontrolled multi-story structure, the residual inter-story drift ratio was reduced by 76.7–93.5%, while the maximum acceleration reduction reached 28.9%. However, local acceleration amplification was observed in some cases because of the increased structural stiffness. These findings provide practical guidance for the layout design and engineering application of self-centering friction dampers in low- and mid-rise steel frames.
Lu Wang, Zhaoqun Chang, Yahui Zhang et al.· Buildings· 0 citations
Nonlinear velocity dampers (NVDs) embedded in coupling beams may enhance the seismic performance of frame–core tube structures by dissipating energy and limiting structural damage. This study evaluates the seismic performance of a 20-story reinforced concrete (RC) frame–core tube building incorporating NVD-equipped coupling beams. Parametric studies are conducted at the frequent earthquake (FE) level, and nonlinear time-history analyses are performed at the design-basis earthquake (DBE) and rare earthquake (RE) levels. The results show that wall-pier flexure is the primary contributor to damper deformation, and mid-span placement is found to be relatively favorable. The optimal damping coefficient varies with the engineering demand parameters, whether base shear, drift, or additional damping, indicating that damping coefficient should be chosen based on a balanced consideration. For the N. Palm Springs ground-motion record considered in the damage assessment, the NVD-equipped models exhibit less flexural damage than the reference model for varying damping coefficients at both DBE and RE levels. These findings provide case-specific design guidance for applying NVD-equipped coupling beams in comparable RC frame–core tube buildings.
Shen Liu, Bo Li, Hui Wang et al.· Buildings· 0 citations
Viscoelastic dampers, leveraging the synergistic mechanism of viscous dissipation and elastic recovery, simultaneously reduce seismic-induced structural displacement and acceleration responses while offering the advantages of simple construction and ease of installation, which hold broad prospects in both the seismic design of new buildings and the retrofitting of existing structures. This work aims to propose a rapid optimization design method for viscoelastic dampers considering torsional effect for three-dimensional solid structures. First, a full-scale prefabricated assembled viscoelastic damper was developed, and mechanical property tests were conducted under a series of loading conditions. Based on the test results, a genetic algorithm is employed to optimize the design scheme of viscoelastic dampers through co-simulation using MATLAB R2022a and OpenSees. The optimization objectives consider both the inter-story drift ratio and acceleration response of the structure, with particular emphasis on the influence of torsional effects. Given that the proposed optimization scheme accounts for structural dynamic characteristics, building functionality, and the universality of seismic excitations, it serves as a design reference for the optimization analysis of other damped structures.
Teng Ge, Wangwang Fang, Zhong-wei Hu et al.· Applied Sciences· 0 citations
This study investigates the seismic behaviour of a 10-storey shear-type building subjected to eleven near-field earthquake records while explicitly accounting for nonlinear soil-structure interaction (SSI). To improve seismic performance, a novel multiple active friction-tuned mass damper (MAFTMD) framework is proposed by integrating multiple friction-tuned mass dampers (MFTMDs) with an enhanced integral-derivative tilted (I-DT) control strategy. The nonlinear behaviour of the supporting soil is represented using the Hardin-Drnevich model, enabling strain-dependent stiffness degradation and damping effects to be captured under stiff, soft, and very soft soil conditions. The parameters of the MTMD and MFTMD configurations, along with the gains of the enhanced I-DT controller implemented in the MAFTMD system, are optimized using a multi-objective thermal exchange optimization (MOTEO) algorithm. The optimization simultaneously minimizes peak storey displacement and acceleration while satisfying inter-storey drift ratio constraints. The results demonstrate that incorporating friction mechanisms significantly enhances energy dissipation and structural response mitigation as compared to conventional MTMD systems. Furthermore, the proposed MAFTMD framework provides the most stable and effective overall performance under varying near-field earthquake characteristics and nonlinear soil conditions. The study also shows that nonlinear SSI strongly affects the performance and optimization of structural control systems. Overall, the proposed framework combines friction-based damping, active control, and nonlinear soil modelling to improve the seismic performance of mid-rise buildings under near-field earthquakes.
Morteza Akbari, M. Seifi, T. Falborski et al.· Archives of Civil and Mechan...· 0 citations