BOOK REVIEWS
in Chapters 5–8, following a well-organized presentation of their
Review of Principles of Passive
Supplemental Damping and Seismic
Isolation by C. Christopoulos
and A. Filiatrault
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IUSS Press, Pavia, Italy, 2006. ISBN Price $110, 480 pp.
T. T. Soong
Dept. of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, Univ. at Buf-
falo, State Univ. of New York
This book addresses two technological areas that have had pro-
found impact on the design and construction of civil engineering
structures under seismic loads. These areas are supplemental
damping and seismic isolation. Research in and development of
supplemental damping, or passive energy dissipation, for struc-
tural applications has a roughly 50-year history. However, only
over the previous 20 years or so have we seen this technology
mature to the point where innovative devices have been devel-
oped on the basis of sound principles and integrated into build-
ings and bridges—either as new construction or as retrofit—for
seismic hazard mitigation. Seismic isolation as a research topic, in
comparison with supplemental damping, has an older origin; and
its operating principle is now well understood. In recent years,
however, exciting progress in practice has been made in several
directions; these include the development of new or improved
isolation systems and the development of hybrid systems, namely,
isolation systems in combination with supplemental damping
devices.
With this background, it is timely to see a book that collects
and consolidates information from a diverse set of sources into an
up-to-date unified presentation of both theoretical and practical
aspects of these technologies. This book is divided into three
main sections, supplemented by a Foreword by Professor V. V.
Bertero, two sample seismic retrofit project assignments 共Chapter
11兲, four appendixes listing structural implementations of these
devices and systems 共dating up to about 2003兲, and a comprehen-
sive list of references.
After brief introductory remarks, the first section 共Chapters
1–3兲 provides a concise review of the fundamentals of supple-
mental damping and seismic isolation, as well as current design
philosophies from the viewpoint of performance-based earth-
quake engineering. Energy principles are introduced in Chapter 3,
with a focus on energy as a design concept, as well as a common
basis for performance comparison among various kinds of de-
vices that have been studied and developed for structural applica-
tions. A comprehensive treatment of supplemental damping and
supplemental damping devices 共dampers兲, the second main sec-
tion of the book, is covered in Chapters 4–8. Chapter 4 presents
basic concepts and general design and analysis procedures for
structures with dampers; a large variety of dampers are introduced
1192 / JOURNAL OF STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING © ASCE / AUGUST 2007
J. Struct. Eng. 2007.133:1192-1192.
basic properties, analytical modeling, experimental studies, de-
sign procedures, and structural implementation examples. Chapter
5 discusses metallic and friction dampers. Chapter 6 focuses on
viscous and viscoelastic dampers. Chapter 7 discusses a class of
dampers with the so-called self-centering characteristic, namely,
damping systems capable of eliminating or minimizing residual
deformations, an important consideration in current lateral force-
resisting systems. Chapter 8 deals with tuned mass dampers and
provides a discussion of their applicability to structures under
seismic loads. Of these chapters, the authors give particular atten-
tion to self-centering devices, with an extensive discussion
of their salient features and their importance in structural
applications.
Chapters 9 and 10 comprise the third main section, which
deals with seismic isolation. Although the discussion here is less
detailed in comparison with that of supplemental damping, Chap-
ter 9 does give a sound theoretical background of isolation sys-
tems in general and their design procedures for seismically
excited buildings and bridges. Chapter 10 follows with an over-
view of isolation systems used today, including elastomeric, lead-
rubber, metallic, and sliding bearings; friction pendulum systems;
and hybrid systems in which dampers are incorporated into seis-
mic isolation systems.
Exercises at the end of each chapter help the reader gain
deeper appreciation of the material covered. Answers to these
exercises are also provided at the end of the text. In addition, as
previously mentioned, two rather ambitious project assignments
are provided in Chapter 11, which can perhaps be best carried out
by a group of readers or students. These project assignments fur-
nish an opportunity for readers to gain hands-on experience in
carrying out the basic design steps required in seismic retrofit of
structures by using these devices and systems. The CD-ROM that
accompanies the book includes some examples, a student version
of the computer program RUAUMOKO, and data input for the
structural models considered in the project assignments in Chap-
ter 11. Indeed, Chapter 11 is a well-conceived chapter and a fit-
ting closure to this ambitious writing project.
This book review would be incomplete without taking note of
the Foreword penned by Prof. Bertero. It is always a delight to
read his writings, and his insightful Foreword is no exception. In
the Foreword, he frames his view of the content of the book in the
broad context of earthquake engineering. He highlights Chapter 7
on self-centering systems as a particularly important contribution
by the authors. And he summarizes his assessment by saying that
this book “provides the most comprehensive treatment on the
principles of modern passive supplemental damping and seismic
isolation that is available at present.” This reviewer’s overall im-
pression of the book resonates strongly with Prof. Bertero’s re-
marks. This book should be an invaluable resource to experienced
professionals, as well as researchers and students in the field.