Buckling-Restrained Damper Structure for Seismic Energy Dissipation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dampers for energy dissipation in building structures have limited capacity and are prone to buckling under seismic forces, which can lead to irreversible damage and hinder post-earthquake restoration.
Innovation Solution
A damper system comprising a core plate with slidable connecting and restrain plates, featuring symmetrical inclined gaps and non-cohesive coatings, designed to prevent out-of-plane deformation and enhance deformability, thereby reducing the likelihood of buckling and improving energy dissipation capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If existing dampers are used for energy dissipation, then they can absorb some seismic energy, but they have limited energy dissipation capacity and are prone to buckling under seismic forces
Solution Approach 1:
The damper is divided into multiple components: a core plate for energy dissipation, restraining plates to prevent buckling, connecting plates for structural integration, and inclined gaps for deformation control. This segmentation allows each component to specialize in one function, improving overall reliability while maintaining energy dissipation capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces out-of-plane restraining plates that operate in a dimension perpendicular to the primary loading direction. These plates prevent buckling by constraining lateral deformation, thereby enhancing buckling resistance without interfering with the in-plane energy dissipation mechanism of the core plate.
2Loss of energy
If ductility design is adopted to dissipate energy through plastic hinges, then energy can be dissipated, but the structural members will be irreversibly damaged after an earthquake
Solution Approach 1:
The energy dissipation function is extracted from the primary structural members (beams and columns) and relocated to a dedicated damper device. The damper contains the core plate that undergoes controlled deformation to dissipate energy, while the main structural members remain intact and reusable after an earthquake, significantly improving ease of repair.
3Loss of energy
If the core plate is made more deformable to enhance energy dissipation, then energy dissipation capacity improves, but the likelihood of buckling increases
Solution Approach 1:
The restraining plates act as intermediaries between the deformable core plate and the rigid connecting plates. They provide lateral support to the core plate during deformation, preventing buckling while allowing the core plate to maintain its deformability for effective energy dissipation.
Solution Approach 2:
The damper employs a composite structure combining the core plate (for deformability and energy dissipation) with restraining plates and connecting plates (for stability and buckling prevention). This composite design integrates materials and components with complementary properties to simultaneously achieve deformability and buckling resistance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The damper effectively restrains out-of-plane deformation and enhances the seismic performance of beam-column and pier connections, reducing the risk of buckling and facilitating post-earthquake restoration by distributing deformation and energy dissipation efficiently.
Implementation Method 1
an inner surface of each of the at least four restrain plates and an inner surface of the second plate body are both coated with a layer of a non-cohesive material
Data Source
AI summary
A damper for energy dissipation, including a core plate, at least four restrain plates and at least four connecting plates. The connecting plates are provided on two ends of the core plate, and the restrain plates are provided on middle of the core plate. The core plate is provided with a first hole, a second hole and a third hole. The connecting plate includes a first plate body and a second plate body connected with an end thereof. A first fastener passes through the first hole to connect the first plate body with the core plate. A second fastener passes through the second hole to connect the second plate body with the core plate. A third fastener passes through the third hole to connect the restrain plate with the core plate. The second plate body is located between two restrain plates.