Experimental Study for Highly Plastic Material Damper

Earthquakes can result in terrible disasters. The new technology of structural control has been acknowledged as the better way to reduce the seismic responses of structures during strong ground motions. The passive control that belongs to the structural control technology can be classified into the base isolation and energy dissipation systems. In this study, a new energy dissipation device called as highly plastic material damper has been proposed. This study focuses on testing and exploring the mechanical behavior of the highly plastic damper proposed by the research group in Feng Chia University, Taichung, Taiwan. The damper was tested in the MTS System to sustain cyclic loadings. The tests include the material stability, durability, the relationship between the force and velocity, and the temperature effect on energy dissipation capacity, etc. From experimental results, it is shown that the force-deformation hysteresis loop of the highly plastic material damper looks like an ellipse in shape for small amplitudes, and a quadrilateral shape for large amplitudes. These results express that the mechanical behavior of the highly plastic material damper depends on the velocity in small amplitudes, and on the displacement in large amplitudes. Based on these observations, the highly plastic material damper could be suitable not only for resisting wind loads but also for controlling seismic responses of a structure during earthquakes.