Application of computational fluid dynamics in design of viscous dampers-CFD modeling and full-scale dynamic testing

Computational fluid dynamics(CFD)provides a powerful tool for investigating complicated fluid flows.This paper aims to study the applicability of CFD in the preliminary design of linear and nonlinear fluid viscous dampers.Two fluid viscous dampers were designed based on CFD models.The first device was a linear viscous damper with straight orifices.The second was a nonlinear viscous damper containing a one-way pressure-responsive valve inside its orifices.Both dampers were detailed based on CFD simulations,and their internal fluid flows were investigated.Full-scale specimens of both dampers were manufactured and tested under dynamic loads.According to the tests results,both dampers demonstrate stable cyclic behaviors,and as expected,the nonlinear damper generally tends to dissipate more energy compared to its linear counterpart.Good compatibility was achieved between the experimentally measured damper force-velocity curves and those estimated from CFD analyses.Using a thermography camera,a rise in temperature of the dampers was measured during the tests.It was found that output force of the manufactured devices was virtually independent of temperature even during long duration loadings.Accordingly,temperature dependence can be ignored in CFD models,because a reliable temperature compensator mechanism was used(or intended to be used)by the damper manufacturer.

Response Spectrum Analysis of 7-story Assembled Frame Structure with Energy Dissipation System

Viscoelastic damper is an effective passive damping device,which can reduce the seismic response of the structure by increasing the damping and dissipating the vibration energy of structures.It has a wide application prospect in actual structural vibration control because of simple device and economical material.In view of the poor seismic behaviors of assembled frame structure connections,various energy dissipation devices are proposed to improve the seismic performance.The finite element numerical analysis method is adopted to analyze relevant energy dissipation structural parameters.The response spectrum of a 7-story assembled frame structure combined the ordinary steel support,ordinary viscoelastic damper,and viscoelastic damper with displacement amplification device is analyzed.The analysis results show that the mechanical behavior of assembled frame structure with ordinary steel supports are not significantly different from those without energy dissipation devices.The assembled frame structure with viscoelastic damper has better seismic performance and energy dissipation,especially for the viscoelastic damper with displacement amplification devices.The maximum value of inter-story displacement angle decreases by 32.24%;the maximum floor displacement decreases by 31.91%,and the base shear decreases by 13.62%compared with the assembled frame structures without energy dissipation devices.The results show that the seismic fortification ability of the structure is significantly improved,and the overall structure is more uniformly stressed.The damping structure with viscoelastic damper mainly reduces the dynamic response of the structure by increasing the damping coefficient,rather than by changing the natural vibration period of the structure.This paper provides an effective theoretical basis and reference for improving the energy dissipation system and the seismic performance of assembled frame structures.