Thermoplastics Polymers use in passive structural dampers

overview and application example

Abstract

The main objective of this paper is to contribute technically based on the use of Thermoplastic Polymers in the design and evaluation of their performance as passive structural damper systems. A brief review on types and properties of viscoelastic materials is presented first. The properties of a polyamide (PA) judged as an appropriate option for use in passive structural dampers were obtained experimentally. After, the design, construction and analysis of dampers built with polymeric materials are presented. The performance of a damper prototype is analyzed under harmonic loads action. The damper effectiveness is illustrated by the analysis of a latticed steel tower with and without dampers inserted. The results show that thermoplastic polymers can be used successfully in the design of passive energy dissipation systems in structures.