Damping

A reduction in the amplitude of an oscillation as a result of energy being drained from the system to overcome
frictional or other resistive forces.
OR
The death of young seedlings as a result of a fungal infection encouraged by damp conditions.

Structural analysis is mainly concerned with finding out the behavior of a physical structure when subjected to
force. This action can be in the form of load due to the weight of things such as people, furniture, wind, snow,
etc. or some other kind of excitation such as an earthquake, shaking of the ground due to a blast nearby, etc. In
essence all these loads are dynamic, including the self-weight of the structure because at some point in time
these loads were not there. The distinction is made between the dynamic and the static analysis on the basis of
whether the applied action has enough acceleration in comparison to the structure's natural frequency. If a load
is applied sufficiently slowly, the inertia forces (Newton's first law of motion) can be ignored and the analysis
can be simplified as static analysis. Structural dynamics, therefore, is a type of structural analysis which covers
the behavior of structures subjected to dynamic (actions having high acceleration) loading. Dynamic loads
include people, wind, waves, traffic, earthquakes, and blasts. Any structure can be subjected to dynamic
loading. Dynamic analysis can be used to find dynamic displacements, time history, and modal analysis.
A dynamic analysis is also related to the inertia forces developed by a structure when it is excited by means of
dynamic loads applied suddenly (e.g., wind blasts, explosion, earthquake).
A static load is one which varies very slowly. A dynamic load is one which changes with time fairly quickly in
comparison to the structure's natural frequency. If it changes slowly, the structure's response may be determined
with static analysis, but if it varies quickly (relative to the structure's ability to respond), the response must be
determined with a dynamic analysis.
Dynamic analysis for simple structures can be carried out manually, but for complex structures finite element
analysis can be used to calculate the mode shapes and frequencies.

Earthquake Resistant Structures by Planning and Design Approach

Earthquakes have plagued man for millennia. It is a destructive force, which was once upon a
time declared to be wrath of God for infidelity of human beings. But today, we understand what causes earthquakes, and
can design effective mechanisms to mitigate the effects of earthquakes.

Basically, there is the Conventional approach to achieving earthquake resistance, then there is the basic approach, and
nowadays, there are Active Control Devices which can counteract the effects of earthquakes on buildings.
Conventional Approach

Design depends upon providing the building with strength, stiffness and inelastic deformation capacity which
are great enough to withstand a given level of earthquake-generated force. This can be accomplished by
selection of an appropriate structural configuration and careful detailing of structural members, such as beams
and columns, and the connections between them.

Basic Approach

Design depends upon underlying more advanced techniques for earthquake resistance is not to strengthen the
building, but to reduce the earthquake generated forces acting upon it. This can be accomplished by de-coupling
the structure from seismic ground motion it is possible to reduce the earthquake induced forces in it by three
ways.

1. Increase natural period of structures by Base Isolation.

2. Increase damping of system by Energy Dissipation Devices.
3. Mitigate earthquake effects completely by using Active Control Devices.

Energy Dissipation Devices for Earthquake Resistant Building Design

Another approach for controlling seismic damage in buildings and improving their seismic performance is by installing
Seismic Dampers in place of structural elements, such as diagonal braces. These dampers act like the hydraulic shock
absorbers in cars much of the sudden jerks are absorbed in the hydraulic fluids and only little is transmitted above to the
chassis of the car. When seismic energy is transmitted through them, dampers absorb part of it, and thus damp the motion
of the building.
Commonly used Seismic Dampers
1. Viscous Dampers (energy is absorbed by silicone-based fluid passing between piston cylinder arrangement),
2. Friction Dampers (energy is absorbed by surfaces with friction between them rubbing against each other),
3. Yielding Dampers (energy is absorbed by metallic components that yield).
4. Viscoelastic Dampers (energy is absorbed by utilizing the controlled shearing of solids).

Thus by equipping a building with additional devices which have high damping capacity, we can greatly decrease the
seismic energy entering the building.

Fluid viscous dampers (FVDs)

Viscous Dampers have the benefit of being a supplemental damping system. They have an oval hysteretic loop
and the damping is velocity dependent. While some minor maintenance is potentially required, viscous dampers
generally do not need to be replaced after an earthquake. While more expensive than other damping
technologies they can be used for both seismic and wind loads and are the most commonly used hysteric
damper.
Friction dampers (FDs)
Friction dampers tend to be available in two major types, linear and rotational and dissipate energy by heat. The
damper operates on the principle of a coulomb damper. Depending on the design, friction dampers can
experience stick-slip phenomenon and Cold welding. The main disadvantage being that friction surfaces can
wear over time and for this reason they are not recommended for dissipating wind loads. When used in seismic
applications wear is not a problem and there is no required maintenance. They have a rectangular hysteretic
loop and as long as the building is sufficiently elastic they tend to settle back to their original positions after an
earthquake.

Metallic yielding dampers (MYDs)

Metallic yielding dampers, as the name implies, yield in order to absorb the earthquake's energy. This type of
damper absorbs a large amount of energy however they must be replaced after an earthquake and may prevent
the building from settling back to its original position.

Viscoelastic dampers (VEDs)

Viscoelastic dampers are useful in that they can be used for both wind and seismic applications, they are usually
limited to small displacements. There is some concern as to the reliability of the technology as some brands
have been banned from use in buildings in the United States.

How it Works?

The construction of a fluid damper is shown in (fig). It consists of a stainless steel piston with bronze orifice head. It is
filled with silicone oil. The piston head utilizes specially shaped passages which alter the flow of the damper fluid and
thus alter the resistance characteristics of the damper. Fluid dampers may be designed to behave as a pure energy
dissipater or a spring or as a combination of the two.

A fluid viscous damper resembles the common shock absorber such as those found in automobiles. The piston transmits
energy entering the system to the fluid in the damper, causing it to move within the damper. The movement of the fluid
within the damper fluid absorbs this kinetic energy by converting it into heat. In automobiles, this means that a shock
received at the wheel is damped before it reaches the passengers compartment. In buildings this can mean that the
building columns protected by dampers will undergo considerably less horizontal movement and damage during an
earthquake.

New Breed of Energy Dissipation Devices

The innovative methods for control of seismic vibrations such as frictional and other types of damping devices
are important integral part of seismic isolation systems as they severe as a barrier against the penetration of
seismic energy into the structure. In this concept, the dampers suppress the response of the isolated building
relative to its base.

The novel friction damper device consists of three steel plates rotating against each other in opposite directions.
The steel plates are separated by two shims of friction pad material producing friction with steel plates.

When an external force excites a frame structure the girder starts to displace horizontally due to this force. The
damper will follow the motion and the central plate because of the tensile forces in the bracing elements. When
the applied forces are reversed, the plates will rotate in opposite way. The damper dissipates energy by means of
friction between the sliding surfaces.

The latest Friction-Visco Elastic Damper Device (F-VEDD) combines the advantages of pure frictional and
viscoelastic mechanisms of energy dissipation. This new product consists of friction pads and viscoelastic
polymer pads separated by steel plates. A pre-stressed bolt in combination with disk springs and hardened
washers is used for maintaining the required clamping force on the interfaces as in original FDD concept.