Advantages of Dampers for Seismic Retrofits

In the wake of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, discussions about building safety and resiliency are once again in the forefront. Whether it’s the San Francisco Chronicle, CBS News, or the LA Times, they all have one common message – buildings in the US may not be as safe as we think. These articles highlight the fact that many buildings in California have similar deficiencies as the buildings in Turkey and Syria, primarily in our Non-Ductile Concrete Moment Frame (NDCMF) building stock. Addressing these deficiencies is important to improving the safety and resiliency of our buildings in California.

Fluid viscous dampers from Taylor Devices present an effective way to improve safety and resiliency of existing buildings, particularly for NDCMFs and Pre-Northridge Steel Moment Frames (PN-SMFs).

Fluid viscous dampers can be used to retrofit structures with minimal impact. Dampers offer flexibility in placement and can be added through phased construction to allow tenants to remain in the building while work is done. Dampers reduce the seismic response of the building, oftentimes avoiding the need to improve connections or foundations.

Taylor Devices has worked with structural engineers to implement dampers into hundreds of retrofit projects in the US and around the world. The UCLA Pritzker Hall, Fox Plaza in San Francisco, and 350 California in San Francisco are prime example of how dampers were used to bring older buildings into alignment with current codes.

UCLA Pritzker Hall

Fox Plaza

350 California St.

The large aftershocks in Turkey and Syria remind us that back-to-back earthquakes are possible. To withstand the forces created by large earthquakes, most structural systems rely on yielding of the structural system, leaving them vulnerable to large aftershocks. Fluid viscous dampers, on the other hand, dissipate the seismic energy while remaining completely elastic, leaving it ready for another seismic event. For example, the Torre Mayor building in Mexico City was retrofitted in 2002 with 98 fluid viscous dampers. Since then, the structure has endured earthquakes in 2003 and 2017 without structural damage or needing to replace the dampers.

These are just some of the advantages of using Taylor Devices’ fluid viscous dampers to retrofit buildings. To learn more about retrofitting and to download our design guides for NDCMFs and PN-SMFs, please visit this page.