Numerical Study of Corrugated Honeycomb Dampers

In this study, a new metallic damper, the Corrugated Honeycomb Damper (CHD), is presented. The CHD is designed for ease of manufacturing and implementation in various structures, with a stable energy dissipation characteristic when subjected to lateral loading. The basic configuration of the CHD consists of two steel plates that are bent to form trapezoidal corrugations. The plates are then welded together along the bent lines to build the honeycomb geometry. To investigate the behavior of the CHD, a closed-form expression for the elastic stiffness was first obtained using the matrix analysis method. A verified numerical model was then developed in ABAQUS software to study the non-linear behavior of the CHD, considering both material and geometric non-linearity as well as the potential for ductile steel damage. A comprehensive parametric study was performed, analyzing 12 CHDs with different geometric characteristics, and evaluating both monotonic and cyclic responses. Force-displacement and cumulative dissipated energy curves were extracted, and relevant elaborations were presented. Additionally, the equivalent stiffness and equivalent damping of the CHDs during cyclic loading were calculated, taking into account the principles of dynamics of structures. The results demonstrated that the CHD has stable and symmetric dissipative loops of energy, and that increasing the depth and thickness of the CHD can enhance its energy absorbing and load bearing capacities. Minimizing the width of the damper can fatten the hysteresis loops, but may also affect the ductility of the damper. Recommendations were given for the total height of the damper and the angle of bents to maintain stable hysteresis loops with respect to the target drift of the CHD.