Evaluation of seismic energy dissipation systems for application to narrow wall piers in soft-story wood-frame structures

Authors
Yang, Steve Minsoo
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Other Contributors
Symans, Michael D.
O'Rourke, Michael J.
Letchford, C. W.
Issue Date
2015-08
Keywords
Civil engineering
Degree
MS
Terms of Use
This electronic version is a licensed copy owned by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY. Copyright of original work retained by author.
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Abstract
Recent experimental testing of a full-scale building, with dampers installed in toggle type displacement amplification frames, was conducted as part of the NEES-Soft Project and demonstrated that this type of energy dissipation retrofit is effective at protecting the ground story (limiting peak ground story drift) while preventing the transfer of excessive force into the upper stories. In this thesis, two alternative displacement amplification frames are examined and their effectiveness is compared, via numerical simulations, with that of the experimentally tested toggle frame. To preserve the large openings in the soft ground story, each frame was examined for three distinct aspect ratios, including very narrow frames that would allow placement behind narrow wall segments. Analytical relationships were derived to define the displacement-dependent displacement amplification provided by each frame and were subsequently validated via kinematic analysis using the program SolidWorks. The displacement amplification factor was then used to derive the effective damping coefficient provided by the frame which was in turn utilized to model the damping added to the ground story of a numerical model of a four story building that had previously been experimentally tested under seismic loading at NEES-UCSD as a part of the NEES-Soft Project. Numerical simulations of the seismic response of the building were performed using the program SAWS with earthquake records scaled to DBE (Design Basis Earthquake) and MCE levels. The simulated response of the building is examined from the perspective of: 1) the effect of various damper frame aspect ratios and 2) the effectiveness of the different frames relative to one another.
Description
August 2015
School of Engineering
Department
Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Publisher
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY
Relationships
Rensselaer Theses and Dissertations Online Collection
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