Search
Close this search box.
Resources

Technical Papers

63. VIRTUAL BASE ISOLATION BY BUILDING SOFTENING WITH DRIFT CONTROL PROVIDED BY FLUID VISCOUS DAMPERS

The paper describes “virtual isolation” for buildings with one or more soft stories. Using the 1999 SEAOC Blue Book (SEAOC, 1999) recommendations for passive energy dissipation, the building's Lateral Force Resisting System (LFRS) is designed for strength requirements only, resulting in a relatively flexible LFRS, while Fluid Viscous Dampers (FVD) are incorporated to limit story drifts to acceptable levels. There are many benefits to this "virtual isolation" system. With the elimination of the maximum drift requirements, the moment frames are substantially lighter than a traditionally framed building, thus lowering the structural steel cost of the LFRS. The long period structure also produces significantly reduced forces in the foundation elements. Velocity and displacement are reduced significantly through the use of the FVDs, which protects the sensitive contents of the building. These benefits lead to a reduced response resulting in an enhanced performance level during a major seismic event.

Share This Post

More To Explore

White Paper

12. PASSIVE AND ACTIVE FLUID DAMPERS IN STRUCTURAL APPLICATIONS

Analytical and experimental results demonstrate that the performance improvements from active control systems can also be achieved with passive and semi-active fluid dampers. However, passive or semi-active fluid dampers offer the advantages of low cost, no or minimal demand for external power, longevity and reliability.

Read More »
White Paper

15. REDUCTION OF SHOCK RESPONSE SPECTRA USING VARIOUS TYPES OF SHOCK ISOLATION MOUNTS

This experiment demonstrated how various types of shock absorbers can reduce the overall shock response spectra of a structure subjected to high impact shock. This was accomplished by measuring the acceleration on a weight dropped onto three different shock absorbers from various heights and analyzing the resulting data. A baseline test was performed with a steel hard mount. This was followed by tests with three different soft isolation mounts; a half inch thick neoprene pad, a urethane rubber tube on its side and a hydraulic liquid spring type shock absorber. Results show that both the dominant frequencies and the peak acceleration get lower as the isolation system gets softer. This information can be valuable in the design of isolation systems.

Read More »
Case Study

16. ROCKWELL VISCOUS DAMPER SPECIFICATIONS

This specification covers the set of ten linear fluid viscous dampers along with their mounting brackets and pins for the Rockwell Building located at Jamboree Road and Birch in Newport Beach, California. These dampers provide an output force in either tension of compression that is directly proportional to the relative velocity between the two ends of the dampers. The damper output force varies only with velocity and does not change with damper stroke position or orientation angle. The function of the dampers is to absorb earthquake energy, thereby reducing the amount the building moves when an earthquake occurs.

Read More »

Investor Information

2022 Q1 Important Links

 

Investor Information

2021 Q4 Important Links

Investor Information

2021 Q3 Important Links

Investor Information

2021 Q2 Important Links

Investor Information

2021 Q1 Important Links

Investor Information

2020 Q4 Important Links

Investor Information

2020 Q3 Important Links

Thank You!

A Taylor Devices Representative will be in touch shortly.

Investor Information

2020 Q1 Important Links

Investor Information

2019 Q4 Important Links