Development and Analysis of Self-centering Viscous Dampers

To realize low-damage structures, self-centering (SC) supplemental dampers may provide a workable solution. The novel and experimental testing of a self-centering viscous damper (SCVD), which combines a length adjustable (LA) component in series with a viscous damper (VD) component in parallel. The VD part used VD to offer energy dissipation capacity, the LA part used a special configuration to accommodate inevitable construction errors, and any damaged part can be replaced quickly to decrease shutdown time for building repairs. The SC part uses preloaded disc springs to provide SC capacity. Inputs for the experimental validation tests were dynamic reversed sinusoidal displacements. To identify each component’s unique contributions to the device as a whole, each part was tested separately. Inputs for the experimental validation testing were dynamic reversed sinusoidal displacements. To identify each component’s unique contributions to the gadget as a whole, each one was evaluated separately. The VD component provides velocity-dependent dissipative forces while the SC component maintains its independence from the velocity input. Summarized individual results are consistent with those of the hybrid device for the same input. The proposed SCVD has a more controllable SC, length adjustment, and energy dissipation capacity by the needs of designers when compared to the existing SCVDs. Overall, these findings present a novel and simple method for designing low-damage structures.