Effective Damping Coefficient of Fluid Viscous Dampers for Dynamic Response Mitigation of Coupled Frames

Purpose In this study, the effective damping coefficient of the fluid viscous dampers (FVDs) used for coupling two adjacent multi-story frames was investigated, considering soil-structure interaction (SSI) effects under seismic excitation. Methods A numerical procedure was employed to obtain the dynamic response of the interconnected frames-soil system. The two-dimensional (2D) finite elements were used for the numerical treatment of the adjacent frames and soil region. Viscous boundary conditions were used as special non-reflecting boundaries on the edges of finite soil region. Five different damping coefficients of FVDs are considered to determine the effective damping coefficient. The effective damping coefficient of FVDs was determined by comparing the results from coupled frames with those of the uncoupled frames. Results The results showed that the most affecting parameter on the system response was found to be soil type. It was also found that the sufficient damping coefficient of the viscous damper is equal to 1 x 10(5) N s/m for minimum response. Conclusion When the effective damping coefficient of the FVDs was provided, the maximum values of the roof displacements, the roof accelerations, and the base shear forces are found to decrease by more than 40%.