Studies on energy dissipation mechanism of an innovative viscous damper filled with oil and silt

Abstract

To improve seismic performance of a traditional viscous damper, an innovative viscous damper is proposed, in which the conventional damping medium is replaced by a mixture of oil and silt. This new medium is expected to increase damping force and solve the problem that arises out of the fact that the energy dissipation capacity of a conventional fluid viscous damper is low for small displacements. Firstly, the design concept and device configurations are introduced, then a cyclic loading test is applied to investigate the damper's energy dissipation mechanism in different conditions. Experimental results show that the damper exhibits displacement-dependent characteristics for small displacements, indicating that the silt has changed its damping mechanism. Furthermore, the effect of multiple test parameters on the damping force is analyzed, showcasing that an increase in silt content can visibly increase the damping force. According to experimental data, fitting models of the damping force are obtained and verified, thus promoting further engineering applications.