Experiments and numerical prediction on a new type of mild steel damper with separable phase yielding

To compensate for the shortcomings of existing mild steel dampers, the shape of energy dissipating steel sheets and their combination type were improved and a new type of mild steel damper with shear-bending combined-stage yielding was presented. The performances of the damper, consisting of shear energy dissipation components and bending energy dissipation components, were analyzed by experiments and finite element simulation. The experimental results show that the damper possesses the stable hysteretic capacity and fatigue resistance capacity, so has strong energy consumption capability and great damping effect. It achieves a two-stage energy-yielding mechanism. The results of numerical simulation are in good agreement with those of experiments. This kind of damper has such advantages as obvious phased energy character, superior performance and simple structure. It can be designed by the method of module and assemble. The damper would have wide application prospect in future.