Performance Evaluation of Distributed Extended KDamper Devices for Seismic Protection of Mid-Rise Building Structures

ABSTRACT

This study proposes a novel seismic protection strategy that applies and distributes extended KDamper devices (d-EKD) along the height of an existing mid-rise building structure. The performance of the d-EKD is assessed on a set of real earthquake records and is compared to a system with optimally distributed Tuned Mass Dampers (d-TMD). The proposed framework with the d-EKDs manages to outperform the d-TMDs, regardless the number of installed devices, further reducing the structure’s dynamic responses by more than5%, using0 times lower total additional masses, rendering it a realistic and compelling alternative for passive seismic protection.

KEYWORDS:

• Negative stiffness
• seismic protection
• KDamper
• multiple tuned mass dampers
• vibration control mechanism

Acknowledgments

Dr Konstantinos Kapasakalis would like to acknowledge the support by the Bodossaki Foundation – Scholarship for Postdoctoral studies.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data Availability Statement

The data used to support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant [Grant Agreement No. INSPIRE-813424, “INSPIRE—Innovative Ground Interface Concepts for Structure Protection”].