Two-dimensional viscous flow between circular cylinders: application to damping devices for seismic isolation

A detailed analysis of the fluid dynamics of the two-dimensional viscous flow between circular cylinders is dealt with in this paper. Analytic solutions are found on the basis of asymptotic expansions with respect to a small parameter defined by the ratio between the difference of the radii and the radius of the internal cylinder. The analysis is related to the study of recently developed devices for seismic isolation of buildings based on modified pile foundation, separated from the soil, in which a viscous fluid is inserted in the void space between the pile and the lining of the surrounding soil. The availability of this analytical solution contributes to obtaining accurate predictions of the force on the pile.