Existing structures connected with dampers: state of the art and future developments

The effectiveness of coupling buildings through dampers to enhance their seismic performance and reduce damage was proved in past years with many numerical and experimental studies by several authors. Initially conceived for the pounding control only, this method was extended to the seismic response mitigation of adjacent buildings through their mutual connection and, more recently, connecting parts of the same structure. The analytical model used to represent this interaction problem consists of two SDOF or MDOF systems connected with dampers with different mechanical characteristics and layouts. Dampers are acknowledged as being very effective in mitigating the seismic response of existing structures. The cost effectiveness of the solution, its reliability, the chance of lowering repair costs and shortening the building downtime after an earthquake foster an opportunity for a more widespread application of this technique. Starting from an overview of the analytical problem and a critical discussion of the different studies and their main findings, the paper provides a state of the art of this seismic response control method aiming at extending the available results to the application of a novel retrofitting strategy in which the building will be connected through energy dissipation devices to specific earthquake resistant elements along the perimeter.