development and experimental validation of a self-centering system for damage avoidance design

During the past decade, high-force-to-volume (hf2v) dampers has been introduced and used as an energy dissipater in seismic applications. common applications include beam to column connections in steel and reinforced concrete moment resisting frames and bracing members in braced frames systems (mander et al., 2009). several studies have been conducted to investigate the characteristics and performance of these dampers more specifically at the university of new zealand (rodgers et al., 2018). the dampers enjoy high dissipation energy capacity and high resistance to low cycle fatigue. howeverdue to high unloading stiffness they normally result in high residual deformations under cycle loads and have weak selfcentering characteristics (muir, 2014). in recent years some self-centering strategies have been suggested to improve their behavior and to use them as part of devices for seismic damage avoidance design of structures. for example, they have beenused in conjunction with prestressed cables in beams and columns to reduce the residual deformations after intense seismic event. nevertheless due to low deformation capacity of cables and complexities in their positioning and erection their actual use in buildings is limited.