Journal of Structural and Construction Engineering

Journal of Structural and Construction Engineering

Developing a method to reduce impacts on adjacent buildings during earthquakes using viscous dampers

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Mazan Masir 1
Alireza Mirza Goltabar Roshan 2
Javad Vaseghi Amiri 3
1 PhD candidate, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, Babol, Iran
2 Associate Professor, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, Babol, Iran
3 Professor, Faculty of Civil Engineering,, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, Babol, Iran
10.22065/jsce.2025.490914.3585
Abstract
During severe earthquakes, displacements generated in a structure transfer from the ground to the upper parts of the foundation, creating distinct structural dynamic responses and out-of-phase lateral oscillations. Due to the absence of separation joints between adjacent structures, they cannot oscillate freely, leading to impact phenomena. The out-of-phase oscillation of these structures causes collisions, potentially resulting in severe structural damage, human casualties, and economic losses. Therefore, this study examines the earthquake impact on the drift behavior of 4-, 7-, and 10-story steel structures using numerical modeling in the OpenSees software. The studied structures have identical floor plans (15×15 meters) with a floor height of 3.3 meters, are located on soft soil, and lie within high seismic risk zones. Models were subjected to various acceleration levels from notable historical earthquakes, including the Northridge, Kobe, and Chi-Chi earthquakes. The data obtained show that 4-story structures generally experience more drift than 7- and 10-story structures. In high-acceleration, high-frequency earthquakes, shorter structures (4 and 7 stories) show greater vulnerability and experience more drift. Additionally, the proximity of structures significantly affects the drift of shorter buildings. Notably, the drift of the 4-story structure significantly increases when adjacent to a 10-story structure. This study also investigates the effect of dampers on the drift of 4- and 10-story structures and 7- and 10-story structures. Results indicate that the use of dampers significantly reduces structural drift and enhances stability against earthquakes.
Keywords
Damper
Structural drift
Structure
Earthquake
Soil-structure interaction

Subjects

[1] Miari, M., Choong, K.K., & Jankowski, R. (2019). Seismic pounding between adjacent buildings: Identification of parameters, soil interaction issues and mitigation measures. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 121, pp. 135–150.
[2] Ras, A., & Boumechra, N. (2016). Seismic energy dissipation study of linear fluid viscous dampers in steel structure design. Alexandria Engineering Journal, 55(3), pp. 2821–2832.
[3] Froehlich, A. (2019). Embedding space in African society: The United Nations sustainable development goals 2030 supported by space applications. Springer.
[4] Anand, V., & Kumar, S.S. (2018). Seismic soil-structure interaction: A state-of-the-art review. In Structures. Elsevier.
[5] Chinmayi, H. (2019). Study on pounding of structures with soil–structure interaction effects: A review. Journal of the Institution of Engineers (India): Series A, 100, pp. 199–204.
[6] Hao, H., Liu, X.Y., & Shen, J. (2000). Pounding response of adjacent buildings subjected to spatial earthquake ground excitations. Advances in Structural Engineering, 3(2), pp. 145–162.
[7] Rahman, A., Carr, A., & Moss, P. (2001). Seismic pounding of a case of adjacent multiple-storey buildings of differing total heights considering soil flexibility effects. Bulletin of the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering, 34(1), pp. 40–59.
[8] Bhaskararao, A., & Jangid, R. (2004). Seismic response of adjacent buildings connected with dampers. In Proceedings of the 13th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering.
[9] Bhaskararao, A., & Jangid, R. (2006). Seismic response of adjacent buildings connected with friction dampers. Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering, 4, pp. 43–64.
[10] Shakya, K., & Wijeyewickrema, A.C. (2009). Mid-column pounding of multi-story reinforced concrete buildings considering soil effects. Advances in Structural Engineering, 12(1), pp. 71–85.
[11] Naserkhaki, S., & Pourmohammad, H. (2012). SSI and SSSI effects in seismic analysis of twin buildings: Discrete model concept. Journal of Civil Engineering and Management, 18(6), pp. 890–898.
[12] Pawar, P., & Murnal, P. (2014). Effect of seismic pounding on adjacent blocks of unsymmetrical buildings considering soil-structure interaction. International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering, 4(7), pp. 391–395.
[13] Farghaly, A.A. (2017). Seismic analysis of adjacent buildings subjected to double pounding considering soil–structure interaction. International Journal of Advanced Structural Engineering, 9, pp. 51–62.
[14] Warnotte, V., et al. (2007). State of the art in the pounding mitigation techniques. INTERSECTII/INTERSECTIONS, 4(3).
[15] Elwardany, H., et al. (2019). Influence of soil–structure interaction on seismic pounding between steel frame buildings considering the effect of infill panels. Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering, 17, pp. 6165–6202.
[16] Farahani, D., Behnamfar, F., & Sayyadpour, H. (2019). Effect of pounding on nonlinear seismic response of torsionally coupled steel structures resting on flexible soil. Engineering Structures, 195, pp. 243–262.
[17] Haseli, B., Homami, P., & Nouri, G. (2023). Soil-structure interaction effects on optimal characteristics of tuned mass dampers in suspension bridges against near-field earthquakes. Journal of Structural and Construction Engineering, 11(3). DOI: 10.22065/jsce.2023.400751.3137.
[18] Alizadeh, H., & Hosseini Lavassani, S.H. (2022). The effect of soil-structure interaction on longitudinal seismic responses of suspension bridges controlled by optimal TMD. Journal of Structural and Construction Engineering, 8(Special Issue 4), pp. 439–458. DOI: 10.22065/jsce.2021.259712.2303.
[19] Ganjavi, B. (2020). Optimum seismic design of structures with hysteretic damper considering soil flexibility. Journal of Structural and Construction Engineering, 7(Special Issue 2), pp. 124–141. DOI: 10.22065/jsce.2018.139987.1604.
[20] Hoveidae, N., Mirzapoor, M., & Kardan, N. (2021). Evaluation of effect of tuned liquid dampers and modified tuned liquid dampers on seismic response of steel moment resisting frames. Journal of Structural and Construction Engineering, 8(2), pp. 87–105. DOI: 10.22065/jsce.2019.165876.1756.
[21] Beheshti, M., & Asadi, P. (2021). Seismic vulnerability assessment of retrofitted steel structures with fractional viscoelastic dampers considering uncertainty variables. Journal of Structural and Construction Engineering, 8(1), pp. 271–285. DOI: 10.22065/jsce.2019.171919.1785.
[22] Arkavazi, F., Ghasemi, A., & Shakib, H. (2023). Seismic vulnerability assessment of steel special moment frames having superelastic viscous damper. Journal of Structural and Construction Engineering, 10(4), pp. 174–197. DOI: 10.22065/jsce.2022.339015.2795.
[23] Kharazian, A., López Almansa, F., & Benavent Climent, A. (2019). Consideration of pounding and SSI in energy-based seismic design of buildings. In Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Computational Methods in Structural Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering. Crete, Greece: Institute of Structural Analysis and Antiseismic Research School of Civil.
[24] Cayci, B.T., & Akpinar, M. (2021). Seismic pounding effects on typical building structures considering soil-structure interaction. In Structures. Elsevier.
[25] Sobhi, P., & Far, H. (2022). Impact of structural pounding on structural behaviour of adjacent buildings considering dynamic soil-structure interaction. Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering, 20(7), pp. 3515–3547.
[26] Rayegani, A., & Nouri, G. (2022). Application of smart dampers for prevention of seismic pounding in isolated structures subjected to near-fault earthquakes. Journal of Earthquake Engineering, 26(8), pp. 4069–4084.
[27] Majdi, A., et al. (2023). On the influence of unexpected earthquake severity and dampers placement on isolated structures subjected to pounding using the modified endurance time method. Buildings, 13(5), p. 1278.
[28] Liu, Y., Li, J., & Lin, G. (2024). Dynamic soil-structure interaction analysis for base-isolated nuclear island building based on the method of external source wave motion. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 177, p. 108422.
[29] ASCE/SEI 7‐10. (2010). Minimum design loads for buildings and other structures. Reston, VA: American Society of Civil Engineers.
[30] ANSI. (2010). AISC 360-10: Specification for structural steel buildings. Chicago, IL: AISC.
[31] FEMA. (2000). Commentary for the seismic rehabilitation of buildings. FEMA-356. Washington, DC: Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Journal of Structural and Construction Engineering
Volume 12, Issue 09 - Serial Number 98
December 2025
Pages 215-235

  • Receive Date 21 December 2024
  • Revise Date 06 February 2025
  • Accept Date 10 March 2025