Open AccessMechanical response of tensegrity dissipative devices incorporating shape memory alloys
Author(s) -
Narinder Singh,
Ada Amendola,
Filipe Amarante dos Santos,
Gianmario Benzoni,
Fernando Fraternali
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
iop conference series. materials science and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1757-899X
pISSN - 1757-8981
DOI - 10.1088/1757-899x/999/1/012001
Subject(s) - shape memory alloy , structural engineering , dissipation , tensegrity , bracing , pseudoelasticity , sma* , stiffness , earthquake engineering , braced frame , computer science , engineering , brace , materials science , mechanical engineering , frame (networking) , martensite , physics , composite material , microstructure , algorithm , thermodynamics
To optimize the seismic performance prescribed by modern structural codes, buildings and infrastructures must provide adequate safety for design level earthquake excitations, with limited levels of damage. This paper deals with the computational modelling of a bracing system with tensegrity architecture, which operates as a lightweight mechanical amplifier of longitudinal displacements in the transverse direction, efficiently limiting the interstory drifts while dissipating energy. The proposed brace is based on a D-bar tensegrity structure with a rhomboidal shape comprising Shape-Memory Alloy (SMA) tendons. The SMA tendons can develop austenitic-martensitic (solid to solid) transformations, which enable them to amplify the signals into wide super elastic hysteresis, while subjected to mechanical cycles, comprising strains up to 6÷8%, with no residual deformations. The enhanced energy dissipation of the proposed SMA-D-bar (SMAD) braces are demonstrated through computational simulations of the response of braced frame to real earthquake events. The efficiency of the intended bracing to minimize the seismic impact of the served structure lays the foundation for the development of novel seismic energy dissipation systems integrating principles of tensegrity with superelasticity.