On Seismic Response Reduction of Adjacent Frame: Emphasis on the Different Characteristics of Earthquakes

Seismic response reduction of adjacent frames with the use of dampers, base isolations, or hybrid controls has been considered in recent years. What makes this to be highly important are the different properties of input earthquake loadings that can lead to different results. In this study, friction dampers and LRB isolators were used as the passive energy absorbers and, accordingly, the performance of such devices subjected to a wide range of earthquake loadings has been studied. Two experimental samples were considered to be used as model verifications. Afterward, the frames were excited by three sets of far-fault, near-fault, and near-fault with pulse records, and then the seismic responses of the frames were evaluated in the forms of displacement, inter-story drift, and acceleration. Subsequently, efficient techniques for implementing passive control devices were proposed. The results showed that the hybrid control strategy (a combination of devices) is the most efficient technique for all three statuses; however, using the base-isolation technique can also lead to acceptable performance. When the height of the frame increases, the role of the damper in the reduction of inter-story drift decreases. Nevertheless, the maximum displacement caused by near-fault with pulse records in the base isolation deceives is the main concern in using such devices. The rate of reduction of structural drift in near-fault with pulse records by using hybrid control was significant so that in 3-, 5-, and 8-story frames this reduction was 77%, 85%, and 87%, respectively.