The Use of the Energy Dissipating Restraint for Seismic Hazard Mitigation

This paper describes the mechanical operation and presents parametric studies for the Energy Dissipating Restraint (EDR). The EDR is a strongly self‐centering passive friction‐based seismic energy dissipator with a wide range of hysteretic behaviors. In the behaviors of most interest in seismic design, the slip load is proportional to displacement. Typically the EDR would be installed in a building as part of the bracing system which resists seismically induced lateral forces. Parametric studies involving nonlinear time history analysis of SDOF were used to understand the response of EDR braced systems under a wide range of conditions. The parameters investigated include the building frequency; EDR stiffness, slip load, and hysteretic behavior; frequency content and peak acceleration of the ground motion; and damping ratio of the unmodified structure. Design implications of the parametric studies are discussed.