Experimental testing of a new anti-seismic dissipator energy device based on the plasticity of metals

This paper presents the experimental characterization of a new energy dissipator intended mainly for seismic protection of building structures. The new device is based on the plasticity of metals through tangential stress generated by means of torsion (without shear loads and bending moments in steel tubes). After describing the design and analysis stages, the experiments undertaken on several prototypes manufactured using low-carbon steel are described in this paper. Four (full size) prototypes have been tested. The experiments (individual testing) consisted of cycling interstory drift loads until failure (though the first test had no rupture). The objectives of the tests are to validate the design of the device and to investigate its energy dissipation capacity. Lastly, the result parameters (displacement, forces, stiffness, plasticity and energy) are analyzed and conclusions are drawn.