Seismic Response of Hybrid Systems with Metallic and Viscous Dampers

Abstract

Metallic dampers can enhance structural performance by reducing seismically induced lateral displacements, and by reducing inelastic behavior of beams and columns. Limiting story drift also indirectly allows for mitigation of damage to nonstructural components that are sensitive to lateral deformations. However many nonstructural elements and components are vulnerable to excessive accelerations. Therefore, in order to protect these components, floor accelerations in buildings should be kept below certain limits. In this perspective, this paper investigates the seismic performance of single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) systems with metallic and viscous dampers installed in parallel, to determine the effectiveness or appropriateness of using metallic dampers to mitigate lateral displacements, simultaneously with viscous dampers to reduce acceleration demands. Parametric analyses investigate the effectiveness of adding various levels of viscous damping on the equivalent hysteretic damping and on the spectral floor acceleration for short, intermediate, and long period structures.