LAUSR

Abstract In recent years, there has been more interest in utilisation of slip friction connectors among researchers, due to their energy dissipation without any yielding of the components. Resilient Slip Friction Joint (RSFJ) is a damage avoidance friction damper in which energy dissipation and self-centring features are provided in one device. This is achieved by controlled friction sliding of especially grooved steel plates which are designed to take the induced tension, bending and shear stresses. In order to perform in accordance with damage avoidance philosophy, the RSFJ plates should remain elastic. Hence, in this paper, the performance of RSFJ components is initially investigated through numerical, analytical and experimental studies. New simplified equivalent spring models are developed in this research for analysis and design of the plates. Also, to prevent the sudden stiffness increase of the joint after locking at its maximum deflection, a new mechanism is introduced and named Anti-Locking Mechanism (ALM). The new ALM is presented and studied experimentally in this research. The ALM is in fact a secondary fuse for the RSFJ in which the clamping bolts elongate providing more ductility for the joint and solving the locking-issue of the damper while the re-centring feature is still preserved without any compromise. Therefore, the RSFJ equipped with ALM could prevent the formation of seismic shocks to the structure during unpredictable seismic events beyond the design level.