Experimental Evaluation and Development of a Self-Centering Friction Damping Brace

Bridges designed to resist earthquake ground-motions are expected to control the ambient vibrations acting through them. These vibrations are to be dissipated during major seismic excitations. This research is focused on the design of a self-centering friction damping brace (SFDB) for the dissipation of such seismic ground-motions. The dissipation is achieved through friction and the super elastic nickel-titanium shape memory alloy wires which are used to gain the self-centering action. The objective of this research is to experimentally evaluate the performance of a SFDB for future research involving the retrofit of the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro, CA, which experiences significant ambient motion. A small scale SFDB was designed, fabricated, and tested by loading the brace cyclically to failure. The results are compared to those of similarly-scaled linear viscous dampers. The force-deformation and energy dissipation characteristics of the SFDB are to be implemented in a model of the Vincent Thomas Bridge to determine its suitability for implementation as a retrofit strategy.