SDM COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY DHARWAD

Study on the effect of Viscous Dampers

for RCC Frame Structure
Under the Guidance of
DR R.J FERNANDEZ
(Proffesor & PG Co-ordinator)
NEHAL.P.REVANKAR
BRANCH:CADS(SECOND SEMESTER)
SUBJECT CODE:18PCDSL205
USN:2SD19CCS10(MTECH)
Introduction
• From the past years and present records, the world has experienced number
of destroying earthquakes, causing in number of increase the loss of human
being due to structural collapse and severe damages to structure.
• Serious efforts have been undertaken to develop the structural control
concept into a workable technology and such devices are installed in
structures.
• The structural control system is usually classified by three method. The three
classes of structural control system are

1. Active Energy Dissipation,

2. Semi-Active Energy Dissipation.
3. Passive Energy Dissipation.
Dampers:- Dampers are the devices which are used to absorb or
dissipate the vibration caused by the earthquake to the structure and to
increase the damping and stiffness of the structure.

Types of dampers:-
1. Tuned mass damper (TMDs).
2. Tuned liquid mass damper (TLDs).
3. Friction damper.
4. Metallic damper.
5. Viscous damper.
6. Elasto plastic damper.
Tuned Mass Damper
➢ Tuned mass damper is a system/device fixed in structure to diminish the
amplitude of mechanical vibrations and also known as a harmonic absorber.

Fig 1: Tuned Mass Damper in Structure Fig 2: Tuned Mass Damper

Tuned Liquid Mass Damper
A tuned liquid mass damper is a device which consist of liquid slush tank
and liquid mass depth. This type of damper is highly non-linear and it is
dependent on frequency.
Friction Damper
A friction damper is a device which are used in the structure to
dissipate the vibration caused by earthquake hazards. In this damper there are
steel plates which are fixed with high strength bolts.
Metallic Damper
The metallic damper are the devices which are constructed with mild
steel plates. The energy is dissipated from the in-elastic deformations of
plate which are made up of mild steel.
VISCOUS DAMPER
• Viscous damper are the energy dissipation device. This type of damper are
very robust and they are used in both new and existing structure.

• Viscous dampers works in the presence of fluid which will flow through
orifice.
• When piston moves this forces the liquid to move from one chamber to
another generating the resisting force.
Objectives of the Project
1. To study the behaviour of the symmetrical plan of 8-story
reinforced concrete structure for gravity loads in ETABs 2015.
2. Modelling and analyse of the structure for static and dynamic
analyses will be carried out in ETABs 2015 as per IS 1893-
2002, (Part 1).
3. Modelling and anlyse of the structure with
addition of viscous damper is carried out in
ETABs 2015.

4. Comparative study will be done on displacement, story drift

and story shear
Methodology
In this present study, the ETABs 2015 abbreviated as “Extended Three-dimensional
Analysis of Building system” software is used for modelling as well as analysis of the
structure. The symmetrical plan of reinforced concrete structure having 8-story is
considered. The structure without damper is modelled and analysed in ETABs 2015.
The model is assigned the class of gravity loads.

First the Earthquake loads as per IS1893-2002, Part1 is applied for structure
located in zone 3. And dynamic analyses i.e. Response spectrum method is carried out
for 5% damping and scale factor considered as per IS code in both X and Ydirections.

To control the seismic response of the structure and to absorb or to transfer the
lateral loads of the structure, the viscous damper is provided. The viscous damper is
modelled in the ETABs software. And the parameters like displacement, storey drift and
storey shears are studied and will be presented in the report.
 LITERATURE REVIEW
1. Application of dampers for vibration control of
structures: An overview
By: Vajreshwari Umachangi, Katta Venkataramana, G.R.Reddy, Rajeev
Verma

The author explains about the type of dampers which has become
most popular now a days for vibration control in the structure.
This paper presents a knowledge or introduction to the behaviour
of the damper in seismically affected areas in which the structures
are build.
The author conclude that in recent years, the use of seismic
or earthquake control system has been increased but it is very
important that selecting the appropriate damper and installing in
the structure to reduce the vibration in the structure.
By: SU MYAT AYE, DR. KYAW MOE AUNG
The author explain that, earthquake is one of the main natural
hazards in the world. The building which is used for the proposed study
is in Mandalay, Myanmar which comes in earthquake zone IV. The
structure is of 15 story RC structure which is L-shaped used for
residential purpose. The members of the structure are designed according
to ACI 318-99 and load considered according UBC-97. The model of the
structure is generated in ETABs v9.7.1 and analysed by using response
spectrum method is used for dynamic analysis. As to control the seismic
hazards of the building, the author took two types of damper 1. Viscous
fluid damper 2.viscoelastic damper. The mechanical properties of the
damper are taken by the manufacture’s report. The damper are applied to
the base story in X-direction. After the analysis the results are compared.
 By comparing the result of the three cases of the proposed structure,
the author concluded that the viscous damper is the most effective for
decreasing the seismic response of the structure. According to the
obtained results, the viscous damper reduce the results upto 40% to 50%
but about viscoelastic damper it allows to reduce only 15% to 25% for all
parameters. Hence is concluded that adding dampers to the structure will
definitely reduce the seismic response of the structure.
YUVRAJ BISHT, SARASWATI SETIA
In this paper, the author studied about the behaviour of the viscous damper
which are applied the structure. He explains that, the use of the viscous damper in
the structure will give in reducing the seismic effect to the structure. The practice of
this type damper is now cost effective and it will advance the seismic act of existing
as well as new buildings.

For study the author proposed or generated a five story RC structure with open
ground story which is used to analyse with and without viscous damper. The analysis
is carried out in SAP 2000 which is non-linear time history analysis. The model which
is five story with open ground story is modelled. The ground story is without masonry
wall. Therefore the dampers is good to provide at ground story. Because of less
elasticity at the ground story which is absence of the masonry wall. The El Centro
earthquake data is considered for time history dynamic analysis. The dampers are
 The model is analysed in SAP 2000 from those result the
author come to conclusion that If the damper are applied in the
structure then this will definitely reduce the seismic loading during
earthquake. By providing viscous damper there will be reduce in
drift of 3.7% to 0.86% and increase in base shear of 0.8% to
1.67%.
ABOUT THE VISCOUS DAMPER
History
During the period of cold war which is from the end of
World War II and approximate 1990. The missiles were
developed by both countries the US and Russia. While testing
of the missile, the shock and vibration produced should be
absorbed by the structure which are adjacent to the testing
site. To overcome that problem the dampers are provided in
the structure.
During the period of 1990’s, the use of damper become
very large i.e., it is used not only for military and defence
structure but also to the commercial structures. A New York
based company Taylor Devices, Inc. manufactured these type
device and produced in the market for all type of structure.
The Viscous dampers are passive energy dissipation device which
is added to structure to increase the effective stiffness of new and
existing buildings. They are very robust material and energy is
transferred by piston and absorbed or vanishes by silicone-based
fluid flowing between the piston-cylinder arrangements.

The damping force of viscous damper is given by

F=CVα
where,
F -The damping force.
C - The damping coefficient.
V - The velocity of piston.
α – The velocity exponent.
WORKING PROCEDURE OF VISCOUS
DAMPER
• The viscous damper works on the principle of flow of fluid
through the orifice in the chamber.
• The silicone-based fluid is used in the chamber. The piston
which is made up of stainless steel which travels in the
chamber which is filled by the silicone oil.
• The characteristic of the silicone oil is inert, non-flammable,
nontoxic and extremely stable for a period of long time.
• This difference in pressure between two chambers will force
the oil to flow through orifice in piston head. The inside
energy is transferred into heat which will dissipate into the
atmosphere.
Basic Way of Applying Damper

The three basic way to attach the damper to the building are:

1. Base isolation.
2. Damper for chevron bracing system.
3. Damper for diagonal bracing system.
 In this present study, the dampers are provided throughout the story in the corners
of the structure. The way of attachment of the damper is chevron brace type to the
structure. The elements of viscous damper is modelled in ETABs by assigning a panel
zone with non-linear link property to the mid-span point object where the chevrons
intersect the beams throughout the structure.

Advantages
1. At low displacement also these are activated.
2. It has minimal restoring force.
3. The properties largely frequency and temperature independent.
4. The performance in the military application has made the record.

Disadvantage
1. Leakage of fluid (reliability concern).
MODELLING AND ANALYSIS
In this present work, the structure of eight story’s is considered
which is of reinforced concert structure. The plan of the structure is
symmetrical plan, having the area of 20m X 20m. Each spacing of the
gridline is 5m on both side. The height of each story of the structure is
3m. the overall height f the structure is 24m. the frame of the structure is
modelled in ETABs software.
The material properties of the structure for modeling is considered as
below,
Grade of Concrete M 25

Modulus of Elasticity of Concrete (E) 25000 MPa

Grade of Steel Fe-415

Modulus of Elasticity of Steel (E) 200000 MPa
Density of Brick 20kN/m3
Poisson’s ratio 0.2
Section Details of the Structure
The sectional details like size of beam, column, slab and wall are
considered as below in the table.
Beam 230mm X 450mm
Column 500mm X 500mm
Slab Thickness 150mm
Wall thickness 230mm
150mm
Load Consideration
The model is generated in the software which should be consist of
loads. Loads which are considered for this work are

Dead load is a load which is self weight of structural element. The

dead load of the structural element like beam, column and slab is
calculated by the software directly. The dead load consist of floor finish
of 1.5kN/m2 and wall load of 230mm wall having a dead weight of 12
kN/m and 150mm wall having a weight of 7.8 kN/m.

Live load is a load which is not constant in its place. The live load of
3 kN/m2 is considered for the current project work as per IS 875-part II.
 The seismic load is considered according to the Indian Standards
code IS 1893:2002. The load combination for the concrete frame
structure is considered as by default from the software which are
according to the IS 1893-2002.

Seismic Zone Zone III

Importance Factor 1
Reduction Factor 5
Damping Ratio 5%
Application of Viscous Damper and Its Properties
Damper is a device which is applied to the structure to reduce the seismic
effect of the structure. In ETABs the viscous damper element is assigned to the
structure in the form of chevron bracing through out the height of the structure at all
corners of the structure. A panel zone is defined at the mid point of the beam with
non linear link property. The chevron will intersect to the mid point of the beam
where the panel zone is assigned. In the panel zone, the beam-brace connectivity is
selected with non-linear behaviour in U2 direction for assigning the damper.

The properties of the Viscous Damper is considered as provided by the

manufacturing company Taylor Device Inc.,

Damping coefficient 810 kN-s/m

Velocity exponent 0.3

 The stiffness value of the viscous damper is calculated by the
following formula by considering the force and displacement of the
bare structure.

Force = Stiffness * Displacement i.e., F=K*δ

50= K*(0.084/1000)

K = 5,95,238.0953 kN/m
RESULT AND DISCUSSION
In the present study, viscous dampers are used to reduce the seismic effect
of the structure which are subjected to the earthquake load. The frames (with
and without viscous damper) is modelled according to the properties of the
structure which are explained in the work. Because of the symmetric model the
values in both direction will be same. The seismic behaviour of the Reinforced
Concrete structure is judged by observing the parameters such as

1. Displacement.

2. Story Drift.

3. Story Shear.
1. Displacement
Displacement is the parameter of maximum importance as it governs the
failure pattern of the structure.
Table : Displacement (mm)
Displacement (mm)
Elevation
Story without with viscous
(m)
damper damper
8 24 29.63 10.73
7 21 28.22 9.70
6 18 25.87 8.39
5 15 22.57 6.87
4 12 18.42 5.22
3 9 13.53 3.52
2 6 8.14 1.86
1 3 2.92 0.46
Base 0 0 0
 Displacement
without damper with viscous damper

35.00

30.00
Displacement (mm)

25.00

20.00

15.00

10.00

5.00

0.00
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 BASE
Story Level
2. Story Drift
As the number of story increases in the structure, the drift is the
common factor for multi-story building. The variance between the lateral
displacements of two adjacent floors of the structure is defined as the
story drift. Table 5.2: Story Drift (mm)
Story Drift (mm)
Elevation
Story without with viscous
(m)
damper damper
8 24 0.00059 0.00035
7 21 0.00094 0.00045
6 18 0.00125 0.00052
5 15 0.00149 0.00056
4 12 0.00168 0.00057
3 9 0.00181 0.00055
2 6 0.00174 0.00047
1 3 0.00097 0.00015
 Story Drift
without damper with viscous damper
0.00200
0.00180
0.00160
Story Drift (mm)

0.00140
0.00120
0.00100
0.00080
0.00060
0.00040
0.00020
0.00000
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Base
Story Level

From the above table and graph we can observe that:

1) The values of drift is more at middle story i.e., 2 to 5 story and less at top and bottom story.
2) The reduction in story drift at mid-stories of model with addition of viscous damper is 70% when
compared with bare model.
3) By applying damper to the structure there is reduction of about 60% to 80% in drift value at top and
bottom stories.
3. Story Shear (kN)
The story shear is the shear value obtained from the sum of design lateral
forces at the levels above the story consideration of the structure. The shear values of
the both models are below in the table.
Table: Story Shear (kN)
Story Shear
Elevation
Story without with viscous
(m)
damper damper
8 24 288.26 293.36
7 21 571.35 623.03
6 18 758.14 881.01
5 15 891.75 1088.39
4 12 1007.25 1254.22
3 9 1124.19 1381.26
2 6 1232.17 1463.58
1 3 1291.18 1487.82
Base 0 0 0
 From the below graph,

1. By observing that the values of model with damper is little bit more as compared to without
damper model.

2. The value of the story shear has been linearly decreasing as height of the story increases.

Story Shear(kN)

without damper with viscous damper

1600.00
1400.00
1200.00
Story Shear (kN)

1000.00
800.00
600.00
400.00
200.00
0.00
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 BASE
Story Level
CONCLUSION
After the analyses of structure the results obtained and compared. And the
conclusion are as follows,

1. According to the obtained results, viscous damper in structure results in the

decrease of building displacement and building drift.

2. The bare frame model which is without damper is analysed and obtained the
results of displacement as 29.63mm and story drift as 0.00181mm.
3. The results obtained from the model with addition of viscous damper are
displacement as 10.73mm and story drift as 0.00055mm.
4. By observing, the displacement values increases over the height of the
structure.
5. From the comparison, the displacement value of the structure is reduced
about 60% to 85% when viscous dampers are applied to the structure.
6. With the placement of viscous damper into the structure maximum drift
reduces in the structure during seismic loading.
7. By using viscous damper in the structure, the story drift at mid-stories is
reduced by 70% when compared with bare model.
8. By applying viscous damper to the structure there is reduction of about 60%
to 80% in drift value at top and bottom stories.
9. The base shear value of bare frame model is 1291.18 kN and that to model
with viscous damper is 1487.82 kN.
10. By observing the shear value, the difference is less because of the weight
of the damper provided to the structure.
11. From the study, by applying viscous dampers to the structure its behaviour
change under seismic loading.
12. By observing, these viscous damper devices perform a vital role in reducing
and controlling the seismic response of the structure.
REFERENCE:
1) Vajreshwari Umachagi, Katta Venkataramana, G. R. Reddy, Rajeev Verma, “Applications of
Dampers for Vibration Control Of Structures: An Overview” International Journal of
Research in Engineering and Technology, Nov-2013.
2) Liya Mathew & C. Prabha, “Effect of Fluid Viscous Dampers in Multi-Storeyed Buildings”,
International Journal of Research in Engineering & Technology, Vol. 2, Issue 9, Sep 2014, 55-
60.
3) Study Of Nonlinear Fluid VISCOUS DAMPERS Behaviour In Seismic Steel Structure
Design Published 13 November 2014 From SPRINGER
THANK YOU