Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), NHERI 2023: Self-Centering Friction Isolated Structures Subjected to Seismic Loads

The following study explores the impact of self-centering mechanisms on the performance of the Banded Rotary Friction Device (BRFD), proposed by Downey, et al. (2016) which utilizes semi-active and band brake technology to enhance the performance of traditional passive friction dampers. Preliminary work, utilizing numerical simulations, was conducted to establish stiffness and pretension relationships of elements within the Self-Centering Banded Rotary Friction Device (SC-BRFD) numerical model and verify the performance improvement the system can provide.