Seismic Response of a Steel Building with Viscoelastic Damper with Different Configurations: A Case Study

The viscoelastic damper represents a significant technological advancement in the field of energy dissipation, with the objective of mitigating vibrations in engineering structures that may be caused by seismic activity or wind. The damper is composed of steel plates and a viscoelastic material. In this study, the finite element program Extended Three-Dimensional Analysis of Building System (ETABS) was employed to create a three-dimensional numerical model of a steel building equipped with a viscoelastic damper. The study identifies the optimal location for the damper, assesses its performance under different configurations, and illustrates its efficacy. The findings indicated that the installation of the viscoelastic damper in a ten-story building resulted in a reduction in maximum displacement during seismic events. Furthermore, the study compared the performance of various damper types, including diagonal, chevron, and upper toggle friction dampers, at different levels of the building. The findings indicated that when positioned in the mid-story of the model, the upper toggle friction damper resulted in a 37% reduction in maximum displacement, thereby demonstrating its superior effectiveness in enhancing structural resilience.