Weathering steel damper and its application: A case study for double-column piers

Double-column piers can be damaged in an earthquake, seriously affecting the safety and use of bridges. The retrofitting of double-column piers using dampers is an important topic in bridge engineering. Using tests and finite element analysis (FEA), the mechanisms and damage states of new weathering steel dampers were studied. The results showed that weathering steel dampers have good resistance to fatigue under high-stress conditions in cyclic loading but also exhibit asymmetry under large deformation. Therefore, the damper connections were optimized based on FEA. In a case study, the installation of weathering steel dampers was performed, and the effects of weathering steel dampers on dynamic response and damage were examined. The results showed that retrofitted double-column piers have a significant damping effect, with a 15.1% reduction in structural damage and a 43.7% reduction in ultimate dynamic deformation response. This study provides a reference for the design and analysis of weathering steel dampers in engineering applications.