A new structural modification approach for seismic protection based on adaptive negative stiffness device: Conceptual analysis

Column forces, displacements and accelerations experienced by the structure during strong ground motions can be reduced by weakening and (or) softening the structure and adding a supplemental damper. Although this approach proved to be promising analytically, the concept of "structural strength reduction" leads to inelastic behavior and large permanent deformations in the main structural system. In this paper a new concept is developed to emulate weakening in a structural system by adding an "adaptive negative stiffness device" (NSD) and shifting the "yielding" away from the main structural system; leading, to the new idea of "apparent weakening" with reduced inelastic excursions in the main structural system. This is achieved through an adaptive negative stiffness system (ANSS), which is a combination of NSD and a damper. Engaging the NSD at an appropriate displacement (simulated yield displacement), that is well below the actual yield displacement of the structural system, will result in a composite structure-device assembly that behaves like a yielding structure. The NSD has a re-centering mechanism thereby avoiding permanent deformation in the composite structure-device assembly unless, the main structure itself yields. Essentially, a yielding-structure is "mimicked" without any, or with minimum yielding and permanent deformation in the main structure. In summary, the main structural system undergoes less acceleration, less displacements and less base shear, while the ANSS "absorbs" them. This paper presents the working principle and details on development and study of the ANSS/NSD. Through numerical simulations, the effectiveness and the superior performance of the ANSS/NSD as compared to a structural system with supplemental passive dampers is presented.