Numerical and experimental studies of a new visco-plastic drawing damper for control of structures under high and low-amplitude excitations

Abstract

This study presents a new hybrid viscoelastic-hysteretic device, termed the visco-plastic drawing (VPD) damper, designed to provide effective structural vibration control across a wide range of excitation amplitudes. The VPD damper integrates a metallic yielding (MY) component, consisting of rectangular steel plates operating under optimized pure-bending conditions, with a viscoelastic (VE) component composed of shear-deforming layers. The VE part effectively mitigates low-to moderate-amplitude vibrations, such as those from winds, storms, or ambient sources, while the MY part supplies high-capacity energy dissipation during strong earthquakes. This dual mechanism ensures large damping ratios at low story drifts, enhances performance in high-seismicity and high-wind regions, and protects primary structural members from damage under design-level events. The damper's independent configuration avoids direct interaction with vertical load-carrying members. Furthermore, damaged MY plates can be replaced post-event without removing the VE layers, allowing the structure to remain serviceable. Owing to its unique configuration and performance, the VPD damper offers advantages over conventional VE or MY devices, which are typically optimized for only one vibration intensity range. In this study the conceptual design, theoretical considerations, material testing, and cyclic performance of the VPD damper were investigated through both experimental and numerical methods, demonstrating its stable and sustainable hysteretic behavior across a full spectrum of structural demands. Finally, the VPD efficiency and effectiveness in control performance under low to high-amplitude excitations were numerically confirmed according to the lateral responses of a single MRF structure. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd.