Feasibility of physical implementation of rate-independent linear damping to protect multistory low-frequency structures

Many low-frequency structures such as high-rise and seismically isolated buildings that were located far from the epicenter of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake were selectively shaken for a long time by the low-frequency component of the ground motion, leading to damaged nonstructural components, highlighting the need to protect these structures from low-frequency ground motions. Previous studies have suggested that rate-independent linear damping (RILD) can be a promising approach for reducing the floor response accelerations of low-frequency structures. Because RILD is a noncausal element, most previous studies on RILD have focused mainly on mathematical aspects, and the feasibility of physical implementation of RILD has not been extensively investigated. The main objective of this study is to examine the feasibility of the physical implementation of RILD to protect multistory low-frequency structures. In this study, a causal RILD device comprising a Maxwell element and a negative-stiffness element in a parallel configuration was investigated to realize the causal approximation of RILD. Both numerical analyses and real-time hybrid simulations were performed to identify the challenges in the implementation of RILD.