Seismic Interstory Drift Demands in Steel Friction Damped Braced Buildings

In the last 35 years, several researchers have proposed, developed and tested different friction devices for seismic control of structures. Their research has demonstrated that such devices are simple, economical, practical, durable and very effective. However, research on passive friction dampers, except for few instances, has not been given appropriate attention lately. This has caused some of the results of old studies to become out-of-date, lose their validity in the context of today's design philosophies or to fall short on the expectations of this century's structural engineering. An analytical study on the behavior of friction devices and the effect they have on the structures into which they are incorporated has been undertaken to address the new design trends, codes, evaluation criteria and needs of today's society. The present study consists of around 7,000 structural analyses that are used to show the excellent seismic performance and economic advantages of Friction Damped Braced Frames. It serves, at the same time, to improve our understanding on their dynamic behavior. Finally, this thesis also sets the basis for future research on the application of this type of seismic energy dissipating systems.