APPLICATION OF SMA RODS TO EXPOSED-TYPE COLUMN BASES IN SMART STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS

A seismic-resistant member with a shape memory alloy (SMA) rod was used in an exposed-type column base as a passive damper for building structures. Horizontal and vertical loading tests on the column base with SMA anchorage were done with increasing drift amplitude to investigate the restoring force characteristics of the column base. Also, a numerical model of a column base with SMA anchorage was derived, and simulations of this column base under cyclic loading were then performed. Both the experimental and numerical results showed that (1) use of an SMA rod prevents deterioration of the restoring force characteristics, (2) use of an appropriate SMA material and a moderate-size rod can yield large deformation capacity and good restoring force characteristics, and (3) after a large drift in the building frame, SMA anchorage enables the column base to recover to its original shape and resistance performance after unloading.