Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), NHERI 2022: Real-time Hybrid Simulations of a Self-centering CLT Wall System with Pressurized Sand Dampers

This research presents the development of the numerical model of a single-story, cross-laminated timber (CLT) building with self-centering (SC) walls. Pressurized sand dampers (PSDs) were recently developed as passive energy dissipation devices; some of their advantages being that are low-cost and easy to manufacture. PSDs were coupled with a SC wall to study the effect of the damping mechanism in the energy dissipation of the structural system. For the first time, real-time hybrid simulations (RTHSs) with the PSD were conducted on the structural model under four ground motions using HyCoM-3D, a MATLAB based structural modeling tool. The results were compared to the model of a conventional CLT shear wall and another of a SC-CLT wall without the damping devices, finding that the rocking mechanism of the wall helps reduce the drift and the base shear forces generated. The use of damping was found to help reduce even further the drift and base shear force of the CLT wall in each case. This makes the PSD a potential low-cost and easy-manufacture retrofitting device that could be used in structures to mitigate deterioration and damage due to cyclic loads. This research could be of interest for the earthquake engineering sector, and the results found could be used to further research on the applications of the PSD on structures, as well as its future implementation as a retrofitting device.