TPEA DEVICE AS SEISMIC DAMPER FOR HIGHRISE BUILDINGS

The tapered-plate energy absorber (TPEA) has been accepted as an effec tive energy dissipator to absorb earthquake-induced energy and improve seismic resistance of a structure. Previous analytical studies associ ated with the TPEA device were primarily based on simple methods to pr edict its behavior. In this study, a more complex model, based on plas ticity theory, and a finite-element formulation for the TPEA device ar e developed. The proposed model predicts effectively the device behavi or under wind and earthquake loadings. Analytical results obtained-by the proposed model are in good agreement with the experimental observa tions from the tests of the TPEA devices. Furthermore, numerical Simul ations of a 10-story building equipped with TPEA devices and subjected to earthquake ground motions show that the energy-dissipation capacit y of the structure increases, and that its responses to earthquake loa dings are significantly reduced when the TPEA devices are employed.