Experimental Study on the Dynamic Characteristics of Steel Slit Dampers with and Without Out-of-Plane Deformation Restraints

Increasing the strut thickness to prevent or restrain out-of-plane deformation increases in-plane stiffness and strength, leading to excessive stress concentration at the junction of the damper and damper systems. We developed restraining panels to suppress out-of-plane deformation and enhance the deformation performance of steel slit dampers. Additionally, we investigated the impact of applying restraining panels on the plastic deformation capability and strength of the steel slit dampers. The experimental variables included (1) the presence of out-of-plane deformation restraining panels, (2) the ratio of effective height to strut width (aspect ratio), (3) the ratio of strut thickness to width (thickness-width ratio), and (4) loading amplitude. When the restraining panels were not applied, cracks occurred at the end of the strut. In the test specimen where out-of-plane deformation occurred, the cumulative plastic deformation angle improved from 1.97 to 3.29 times owing to the use of restraining panels. However, the strength increase ratio for all test specimens ranged from approximately 1.3–1.7, indicating that minimal strength enhancement was attributable to the restraining panels.