New Damper Presented by Iranian Researchers to Protect Structures against Wind, Earthquake
The study, supported by the National Science Foundation of Iran, was conducted by Mehdi Qandil, a PhD graduate of Civil Engineering from Isfahan University in Central Iran.
“Structures without damping equipment can experience a lot of damage under strong seismic excitations. The structures that we have offered can often maintain the safety of their occupants against such stimuli without completely collapsing,” said Qandil.
Noting that one of the most effective solutions is to minimize the range of inelastic deformations in structural parts and concentrate seismic damage in special devices and equipment that are installed in structures for this purpose, he said, “Seismic control systems are used for optimal damage accumulation and reduction, which can be divided into four categories of active, semi-active and passive control systems and dual control systems.”
“This research and executive plan aims to implement an optimal and cost-effective method of earthquake energy consumption in structures as a quick solution and to develop an example of an optimal passive control system in such a way that in addition to earthquakes, it is also able to reduce the vibrations of buildings caused by wind,” Qandil said.
“The production of technical know-how, two patents in the form of two new products in the field of control, and retrofitting and protection of structures against wind and earthquake have been the results of this project,” he underlined.
Damping is a phenomenon that makes any vibrating body/structure to decay in amplitude of motion (Fig-19) gradually by means of energy dissipation through various mechanisms. In other words, gradual transformation of energy within the vibrating system is referred as damping.
The term damping is used to describe the means by which oscillation amplitudes are reduced through irreversible removal of vibratory energy in a mechanical system or a component. Dissipation, on the other hand, refers to the mechanism by which irreversible energy transfer, from vibratory to thermal, takes place.
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