Seismic protection of existing precast buildings using dissipative devices

This study presents an innovative approach to enhance the seismic performance of precast structures. Friction devices were inserted at the beam-to-column connections with the aim of providing supplemental energy dissipation and structural drift control. A single-story industrial building and a multi-story frame were analyzed in this study to assess the effectiveness of the dissipative friction devices. A simplified model describing the hysteretic behaviour of the friction device was developed and parametric analyses were carried out in order to establish the optimum value of the plastic moment of the device for the different precast structures. The results of the numerical investigations showed that the installation of the devices caused a significant decrease of displacements at the top of the structures. The energy dissipation concentrated in the devices and the plastic demand on structural members was considerably reduced, along with the potential for structural damage.