Evaluation of the seismic performance of structures equipped with novel multi-level TADAS dampers

Most dampers are designed for major earthquakes, while small earthquakes are likely to occur during the useful life cycle of buildings, and these smaller earthquakes may also damage structural and non-structural components; multi-level dampers are designed with a mechanism that works partly in minor earthquakes and partly in major earthquakes. Therefore, using these dampers prevents damage to structural and non-structural components at different levels of earthquakes. This study introduces the multi-level shear-bending TADAS damper and examines three types of multi-level TADAS dampers including: (1) a TADAS made by different steel grade materials, (2) a TADAS combined with friction pads and (3) a TADAS with different pin hole sizes. Moreover, further research is performed to evaluate the seismic performance of the multi-level TADAS damper in a 10-story building model using the incremental dynamic analysis (IDA). According to the obtained results, the considered models showed the expected seismic performance at two earthquake hazard levels which in turn indicates the usefulness of multi-level TADAS dampers in seismic energy dissipation. Examination of IDA curves shows that the effective yield and the collapse points of structures equipped with multi-level TADAS dampers occur in about 53.1% and 143.5% higher earthquake intensities compared to the structures without dampers, respectively. Moreover, due to the enhanced seismic performance of these systems, lightweight structures can be designed which is in line with the goals of sustainable development which is another advantage of this system.