Shape Optimisation of Grooves in Grooved Gusset Plate Damper used in X-Braced Frame

Abstract

The X-braced frame represents a specialized variation of concentric-braced frames. It can be used
as a resistance towards the lateral load acting on the structural system. X-braced frames generally
exhibit lower flexibility when compared to eccentrically braced and moment frames, which is often
perceived as a drawback of this structural system. To address this limitation, energy dissipation
devices can be integrated into the system with X-bracings to absorb the plastic action and
safeguard other structural elements, such as columns, beams and connections from earthquake
forces. Specifically, X-concentrically braced frames are tailored through variations in groove
shapes.
Furthermore, the investigation determines the dampers' load-bearing and energy dissipation
capacities. The assessment commences with cyclic load testing conducted using the ANSYS
software. The grooves present in GGPD help dissipate seismic energy. The energy dissipation and
load-bearing capacity of the X-concentrically braced frame equipped with a grooved gusset plate
damper were compared based on different groove shapes. The different shapes used for the
analysis were L shape, oval, rectangular and stadium shape. It was observed that oval-shaped
grooves have more energy dissipation capacity among four groove shapes, with an increase of
10.74%.