Experimental, analytical, and numerical study of a wall-type self-centering slip friction damper

This paper proposes a novel wall-type self-centering slip friction damper (WSCSFD), which mainly comprises of the grooved T-shape and L-shape plates that are combined by stacked disc springs. The damper resists shear forces arising from the inter-story drifts under earthquakes. By leveraging the variable friction mechanism and the pre-compressed disc springs, the WSCSFD can provide self-centering capability and energy dissipation capacity. The configuration and working mechanism of WSCSFD were first discussed. And then, the theoretical equations governing the force–displacement relationship were derived. One reduced-scale damper specimen was fabricated to conduct the proof-of-concept tests. The test results validated the deformation mode and cyclic behavior of the WSCSFD. The hysteretic parameters related to seismic applications were quantified and discussed. To complement the experimental observations and gain a further understanding of the local behavior, three-dimensional finite element (FE) models were established in ABAQUS. Finally, to address the deficiencies of the damper specimen, some potential improvement approaches were suggested and evaluated through the validated FE models.