50. TESTING AND MODELING OF AN IMPROVED DAMPER CONFIGURATION FOR STIFF STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS
This report describes a toggle brace damper system that adds significant damping to stiff structures, like reinforced concrete shear wall buildings. It is generally recognized that these stiff structural systems, such as reinforced concrete shear walls and steel braced dual systems, are characterized by small drifts and small relative velocities that make the implementation of seismic energy dissipation devices difficult. This report presents a study on a toggle brace damper system that magnifies the damper displacement and reduces the required damper force to produce the desired damping. The reports presents the concept, describes the theoretical treatment, and includes an experimental study with cyclic and shake table testing of a model structure along with procedures for response history and simplified analysis.