Seismic Behavior of a Self-Centering System with 2-4 Viscous Damper

This research demonstrates the efficacy of 2-4 viscous dampers in self-centering rocking structures with bi-linear elastic response, which is distinctly different to conventional fixed-base structures. This study assesses the relative impact of 2-4 devices versus typical viscous dampers and 1-3 viscous devices. Performance is assessed by maximum displacement, total base shear, and maximum acceleration, which are indicative of structural, foundation and contents demand. Simultaneous reductions of displacement, base-shear and acceleration are only available with the 2-4 damper. Finally, a simple method is proposed to incorporate 2-4 viscous dampers into self-centering systems using standard design approaches.