Self-restoring brace damper device

Brace damper that returns to its original position after an earthquake using a moving unit structure that extends the deformation unit under both tension and compression

This technology is a brace damper device configured with first and second moving units coupled to a guide unit extending along the load-bearing line, connected by a deformation unit, and an operating unit that pulls the second moving unit while pushing the first. Regardless of whether the brace is under tension or compression, the two moving units move apart, ensuring the deformation unit always works in an extension-only mode.

Friction dampers, commonly used in building vibration control systems, have fixed friction and displacement settings during manufacturing. This creates issues where they cannot be adjusted to meet the varying compression, tension, and displacement requirements of different braces based on installation location and connection type. Furthermore, once they absorb external force, the friction surfaces remain displaced, leading to high costs for replacement or repair.

In this technology, fixing pins on each moving wall slide along guide holes in the guide wall, creating friction by clamping the guide wall between the pin head and the moving wall, with the clamping force allowing for friction adjustment. The deformation unit consists of a three-stage plate with a narrowed center, and lubrication plates are placed against the guide wall to prevent unnecessary heat. When made with shape-memory alloys or self-healing polymers, it returns to its original shape after deformation. Applicable to seismic bracing for low-to-mid-rise steel buildings, seismic retrofitting for public facilities like schools and hospitals, and vibration control remodeling for aging structures, this design simplifies behavior prediction and design by ensuring the deformation unit only works in tension, while reducing replacement costs by returning to its original position after an earthquake.

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Key Features:

• A guide unit of a predetermined length along a virtual load-bearing line parallel to the direction of applied tension or compression
• A first moving unit and a second moving unit coupled to one side of the guide unit, spaced apart and capable of reciprocating movement parallel to the load-bearing line
• A deformation unit connecting the first and second moving units, configured to be extended and restored in a direction parallel to the load-bearing line
• An operating unit that pulls the second moving unit or pushes the first moving unit to move the two units apart, thereby extending the deformation unit

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This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for experimental research on the development and performance verification of original systems for seismic retrofitting bracing damper devices using new materials.

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