Analysis of X-shaped and Double X-shaped Metallic Dampers on Multistorey Frames

Abstract

Metallic yielding dampers are passive energy dissipating devices that are designed to disperse earthquake energy through hysteretic behavior. This research used ETABS software to analyze the performance of two metallic yielding dampers of the type Added damping and Stiffness (ADAS); X-shaped damper and Double X-Shaped damper. The story shear response of two frames, one a low-rise building of five stories, and another high-rise building of 20 stories was analyzed. Each damper had three types of material; A992 steel, A36 steel and aluminium. The site location for both structures were in the region of California in the United States of America. The structures were analyzed by subjecting them to two earthquakes Loma Prieta and San Fernando as they were two of the major earthquakes that struck California in the nineties. The results showed that both dampers performed satisfactorily. But their performance depended on the magnitude of the earthquake and the number of stories of the structure. Dampers that were made of steel performed better than the ones made of aluminium. Both X-shaped and Double X-shaped dampers were concluded as good energy dissipating devices according to the results obtained.