Effects of damper force ranges and ground motion pulse periods on the performance of semi-active isolation systems

A large-scale base-isolated steel structural frame was tested at the shaking table laboratory of the National Research Institute for Earth Sciences and Disaster Prevention. These collaborative experiments featured auto-adaptive media and devices to enhance the performance of passive base isolation systems. The planning of these experiments involved determining appropriate device control methods, the development of a controllable damping device with fail-safe characteristics, and the evaluation of the performance of the controlled isolation system subjected to strong ground motion with pronounced near-field effects. The results of the planning study and their large-scale experimental confirmation provide guidelines for the development and implementation of auto-adaptive damping devices for full scale structures.

Duke Scholars

Author Henri P. Gavin Civil and Environmental Engineering