SEISMIC PERFORMANCE OF SLITTED STEEL PLATES ENCLOSED BY WOOD PANELS

A new-type hysteretic damper composed of a slitted steel plate and buckling-restraining wood panels is proposed. Cyclic loading tests on five damper element specimens, including one without buckling restraining panels, are conducted. The buckling-restrained specimens behave in a stable manner with the equivalent viscous damping ratio ranging from 0.3 to 0.4, while the hysteresis loops after the ultimate strength are pinched due to the steel plate's local buckling in the vicinity of slit ends. In the specimen with the thinnest wood panels, large kinks are formed close to corners of the steel plate, and in another specimen, where cracks are formed between the slits, strength deterioration is observed. Associated FEM analyses that represent the specimens show good agreement with the test results.