Structural behaviour of 5000 kN damper

This work presents a study on parameters that govern the structural behaviour a high capacity damper with 5000 kN capacity. The damper is based on a rotational friction concept that was developed by the first author. The device is designed to dissipate seismic input energy and protect buildings, especially large and tall buildings from structural and non-structural damage during moderate and severe earthquakes. The damper has been tested intensively at the Technical University of Denmark. The test proved that the damper is able to achieve the design capacity of 5000 kN. A computational model based on the finite element software ABAQUS was developed to explain some small differences from the idealized elasto-plastic behaviour of the damper. The comparison of results obtained from the experimental and numerical models shows very good agreement. The large capacity devices are not difficult to implement in structures and they are economic devices due to material availability. So far several models of Damptech rotational friction dampers have been installed in 20 projects in Japan and in other countries around the world.