EXPERIMENTAL BEHAVIOUR OF A LOW-COST SEISMIC ENERGY DISSIPATION DEVICE

Abstract

Safety during earthquakes should be a human right and shall be accessible not only to those who can pay for proprietary high-tech devices but to everyone. Based on that, this study has been developed with the intention of helping to improve the seismic safety in the developing world. Within this paper, a low-cost, low-tech seismic energy dissipation device is proposed. Its experimental behavior under seismic loading is assessed. The device type is buckling-restrained brace (BRB) and, according to its characteristics, it is suitable for new and existing, medium- to low-rise structures. First, the device characteristics and fabrication process are presented. Then, its structural response, in terms of the hysteretic behavior, ductility, and dissipated energy – as obtained from experimental tests – is shown. Experimental results show an excellent behavior of the proposed device. As a result, it can be said that the device is reliable and its use is recommended for new, and retrofitting/upgrading existing, structures. Design recommendations are also provided.