Seismic Parametric Analysis of RC Multi-Storied Buildings with and Without Fluid Viscous Dampers

Abstract

Earthquakes are enormous natural disasters that increase the energy within the structural system, causing catastrophic destruction. Various control systems, such as passive, active, hybrid, and semi active control systems, can be used to dissipate this unwanted energy. The fluid viscous damper is one such dissipation device used in this study. The goal of this project is to use a fluid viscous damper to lessen the seismic response of the Symmetrical and unsymmetrical G+9 structure in ETABS2017. To obtain the seismic response with and without a fluid viscous damper, ETABS2017 was used to analyse symmetrical and unsymmetrical structures with and without a fluid viscous damper. The analysis takes into account nonlinear temporal history, which is derived using fast nonlinear analysis of Electro data. The position and function of dampers are discussed in this study. For seismic evaluation of buildings with and without fluid viscous dampers, the equivalent static approach and response spectrum method are utilized. The building was analyzed using ETABs 2017 software, with seismic zone IV and medium soil (Type II) as per IS 1893-2016. The building\'s performance is evaluated using storey displacement, storey shear, storey drift, and modal periods and frequencies. The goal of this study is to compare the results of static and response spectrum analysis in both longitudinal and transverse directions for damper construction with and without damper building.

Introduction

Earthquakes generate significant energy that causes lateral forces and vibrations in structures. Fluid Viscous Dampers (FVDs) are passive energy dissipation devices used to reduce these seismic effects by absorbing and dissipating earthquake energy. Unlike conventional structural systems, FVDs are velocity-dependent devices that reduce displacement, stress, and vibration without adding stiffness or carrying structural loads. They are widely used in modern buildings due to their effectiveness in improving seismic performance.

Fluid viscous dampers consist of a piston, cylinder, and viscous silicone fluid that generates resistance when the piston moves. The damping force depends on the velocity of movement and is expressed as F = C × Vα, where C is the damping constant and α is the damping exponent. A damper with α = 1 behaves as a linear damper, while practical applications generally use nonlinear damping behavior.

The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of FVDs in improving the seismic performance of symmetrical and unsymmetrical buildings. The objectives include comparing structures with and without dampers, analyzing reductions in displacement, base shear, and storey drift, studying changes in natural time period, performing pushover analysis, and conducting response spectrum analysis.

The methodology involves analyzing multi-story buildings as multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) systems. Different seismic analysis methods are considered, including the equivalent static method and response spectrum method. The equivalent static method is mainly suitable for low- and medium-rise buildings, while the response spectrum method is used for dynamic analysis of irregular and multi-story structures.

A G+9 storey building model was developed using ETABS 17 software. The structure consists of M30 grade concrete and Fe500 steel, with 3 m storey height and 6 m bay spacing. Seismic loading was applied according to IS 1893:2016 standards. Fluid viscous dampers of type FVD 250 were installed at exterior corners of the building using diagonal bracing arrangements. The damper properties included a damping constant of 460 kN-s/m and a damping exponent of 0.3.

The analysis compares building performance with and without FVD installation by evaluating important seismic response parameters such as displacement, base shear, storey drift, vibration period, and pushover behavior. The study focuses on demonstrating the ability of fluid viscous dampers to enhance structural stability and reduce earthquake-induced damage.

Conclusion

The Present study is focused on the study of Seismic demands of different R.C buildings high rise buildings using numerous analytical techniques for the buildings located in seismic zone V of India medium soil. The achievement of the building is studied in terms of time period, base shear, lateral displacements, storey drifts in linear static and linear dynamic analysis for with and without fluid viscous dampers building G+9 storey models. The seismic analysis is carried out by equivalent static method and response spectrum method for G+9 storey building with unsymmetrical in plan. The below are the conclusions that can be concluded from the present study, which are as follows. 1) The fundamental natural period of the structure rises due to the lesser stiffness of the bare frame buildings compared to buildings having fluid viscous dampers. 2) The base shears due to seismic forces for the building with fluid viscous dampers are greater than the base shear obtained for without fluid viscous dampers. 3) Compared to the regular building the storey displacement reduces for the buildings having fluid viscous dampers. Addition of fluid viscous dampers in the building will result in drastic depletion of lateral displacement of the building there by in turn assures the safety of the structure. 4) The storey drift rises in regular building as compared to building having fluid viscous dampers. T h e addition of fluid viscous dampers in the building drastically reduces the inter storey drift as compared to that of building without fluid viscous dampers. R 5) The story floats saw of the design are found inside the breaking point as indicated by code (IS: 1893-2002, section 1) in Linear Analysis. 6) Storey Stiffness of frame model at bottom storey is within the limit as clause no 4.20 of IS- 1893 (Part-1):2002. 7) Story drift value is more in the open story as compared to the soft storey at different levels of building.

References

[1] C.V.R.Murty, \"Why Are Open Ground Storey Buildings Vulnerable in Earthquakes\", Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Earthquake tip 21, December 2003. [2] D. B. Karwar and Dr. R. S. Londhe (2014), Performance of RC Framed Structure by Using Pushover Analysis, International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering. [3] Dhadde Santosh (2014), Evaluation and Strengthening of Soft Storey Building, International Journal of Ethics in Engineering & Management Education. [4] ETABS (Version 9.7) “ETABS User’s Manual Revision 9.7” [5] F. Demir and M. Sivri “Earthquake Response of Masonry Infilled Frames” ECAS2002 International Symposium on Structural and Earthquake Engineering, October 14, 2002, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey [6] FEMA-273, (1997), NEHRP Guidelines for the Seismic Rehabilitation of Buildings, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Washington, D. C, October. [7] Goutam Mondal and S.K.Jain (2008),” Lateral Stiffness of Masonry Infilled RC Frame with Central Opening”, Earthquake Spectra, Vol. 24, N0.3, PP.701-723, Aug 2008. [8] Hiten L. Kheni,and Anuj K. Chandiwala(2014), Seismic Response of RC Building with Soft Stories, International Journal of Engineering Trends and Technology (IJETT) – Volume 10 Number 12 - Apr 2014. [9] IS-1893 2002 Indian Standard Criteria for Earthquake Resistant Design of Structures (part1) BIS, New Delhi, [10] Jaswant N. Arlekar, Sudhir K. Jain and C.V.R. Murty, \"Seismic zone Response of RC Frame Buildings with Soft First Storeys\" Proceedings of the CBRI Golden Jubilee Conference on Natural Hazards in Urban Habitat, 1997,\' New Delhi. [11] M. N. Fardis and T. B. Panagiotakos “Seismic Design and Response of Bare and Masonry-Infilled Reinforced Concrete Buildings” Journal of Earthquake Engineering, 1:3, pp.475-503, 1997. [12] M.Koti Reddy, D.S.Prakash Rao and A.R.Chandrasekaran, \"Modeling of RC Frame Buildings with Soft Ground Storey\", the Indian Concrete Journal, Volume 81, No. 10, October 2007. [13] Mainstone, R.J., (1971), “On the Stiffness and Strengths of Infilled Frames”, Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Supplement IV, Paper No. 7360S, pp. 57-90. [14] Mr. D. Dhandapany (2014), Comparative Study of and Analysis of Earthquake G+5 Storey Building with RC Shear Wall, Int. J. Engineering Research and Advanced Technology,Vol 2 (3),167-171.

Copyright

Copyright © 2026 Kamal Kumar , Ajay Vikram. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.