English Views: 67 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2026-01-29 Origin: Site
New Technology of Engineering Seismic Protection: Application System of Friction Spring in Seismic Protection of Building Structure
Earthquake disasters have posed significant threats to building structural safety, driving the engineering community to continuously explore more effective protective technologies. As a passive control device based on friction energy dissipation principles, friction springs demonstrate unique application value in structural seismic protection. Jiangsu Sunzo Industry, through the interdisciplinary application of structural engineering and disc spring technology, provides a systematic analysis of the technical principles, application forms, and key implementation points of friction springs in earthquake protection.
The friction spring converts the structural kinetic energy input by earthquakes into frictional heat energy for dissipation through a preset sliding interface. Its core mechanism includes:
The controllable sliding mechanism: The rigid connection is maintained under normal use and small earthquake, and the sliding is started according to the preset friction force in the middle and large earthquake, so as to realize the energy dissipation protection.
Energy conversion efficiency: The energy conversion efficiency of sliding friction process can reach 6080%, which is much higher than that of traditional plastic hinge.
The force-displacement characteristic is typical Coulomb friction model, which provides nearly constant damping force and is convenient for mechanical analysis in structural design.
System composition: friction spring unit combined with traditional steel support to form a replaceable energy dissipation component.
The layout strategy is usually arranged in the weak layer of the structure or the force concentrated part, and the friction interface is driven by the axial deformation of the support.
Technical advantages: After the earthquake, only the friction spring module can be replaced, with minimal damage to the main structure and low repair costs, aligning with the concept of recoverable functional structures.
Product types: Standardized dampers available in various installation configurations including wall-mounted, support-mounted, and beam-column joint-mounted designs.
Performance parameters: The designed sliding friction range is typically 50-2000 kN, and can be customized according to structural requirements.
Integration: It can be used as an integrated energy consumption component in new buildings or as an external reinforcement device for seismic retrofitting of existing buildings.
Combined application: It is used in combination with laminated rubber seismic isolation bearing, installed in the seismic isolation layer, and is specially used to control the excessive displacement of the seismic isolation layer.
The design points are as follows: the stiffness of the isolation bearing and the starting force of the friction spring should be matched accurately to ensure the design goal of no sliding in small earthquakes and limited in large earthquakes.
The determination of the take-off force is based on the response spectrum analysis or time history analysis, and the optimized distribution of the take-off force is determined for each floor.
Initial stiffness of friction spring should be coordinated with adjacent structural components to avoid local stiffness mutation.
Displacement capacity: The designed sliding displacement should be greater than the expected interlayer displacement under rare earthquakes, and a safety margin should be left.
The force transmission path is to ensure that the seismic force can be effectively transferred to the friction interface, and avoid the stress concentration or premature failure in the connection area.
Installation tolerance: Establish strict on-site installation tolerance requirements to ensure the parallelism and alignment of friction surfaces.
Checkable and repairable: Design the structure details to facilitate post-earthquake inspection of friction surfaces and replacement of energy-absorbing components.
Prototype test: The product should pass the pseudo-static cyclic loading test to verify the fullness of the hysteresis curve and the stability of the performance.
Aging test: Accelerated aging test is carried out to consider the possible change of friction coefficient under long-term use.
Numerical simulation: The finite element model of the whole structure including friction spring element is established and the nonlinear dynamic analysis is carried out.
The successful application of friction spring technology to seismic engineering requires the deep integration of materials, machinery and structure.
Multi-scale analysis capability: We can perform the whole chain technology evaluation from the performance test of material friction pair to the seismic response analysis of the whole structure.
Customized product development: Customized friction spring energy dissipation device is developed according to the seismic fortification target, structure type and architect's request of specific project.
The test results support that the pseudo-static and pseudo-dynamic tests of full scale or scale model can be carried out by relying on the laboratory resources of the partners.
Integrated solution: We provide end-to-end technical services covering scheme validation, parameter optimization, product supply, and installation guidance.
The development of friction spring vibration damping technology is evolving towards more intelligent, reliable, and economical directions:
The development of the self-recovery technology: combining shape memory alloy or prestressing technology, the automatic self-recovery after earthquake can be realized, and the residual deformation can be further reduced.
Health monitoring integration: The device integrates sensors to monitor sliding displacement and accumulated energy consumption in real time, providing data for structural health diagnosis.
Standardization construction: Promote the formulation of relevant design, product and testing standards, and provide a standardized basis for engineering application.
Seismic protection is a critical engineering challenge that safeguards lives and property. Jiangsu Sunzo Industry, leveraging its expertise in elastic component technology and engineering applications, collaborates with design institutes, developers, and construction entities to explore and advance the scientific implementation of advanced seismic technologies such as friction springs in China's construction projects, thereby enhancing the seismic resilience of buildings.
