Investigation on the Seismic Response Behavior of the Pipe Rack Equipped with Viscos Damper

Pipe racks or pipe bridges are one of the most important refinery structures which are used to maintain pipes and other equipment at the required levels and are usually made of concrete, steel or a combination of these two. Measures should be taken to reduce the damage of piping system due to separation of pipe-racks, the separate behavior of each of these parts during the earthquake, and also the large force involved in the separation of the pipe supports. Dampers are one of the most powerful earthquake engineering tools as a passive control system. Although the use of dampers in pipe-rack structures is unusual, it can be very useful in some cases. In this study, the function of dampers in a four-part pipe-rack under the influence of faults near faults and earthquakes was investigated. Our Findings revealed that when dampers placed in a longitudinal braces, the use of dampers in the pipe-rack has a very good performance and reduces the damage to the structures and piping system after the earthquake. Adding dampers to these structures can dramatically reduce the inter-levels drainage and acceleration of floors, and thus protect the pipes. In this way, these structures can fully maintain their usability during the earthquake and can be exploited immediately after the earthquake, which is very important in refineries.