In this paper, a new form of vibration controlled frame having nonlinear restoring force of hardening type is proposed to produce uniform interstory drift and provide efficient energy dissipation by the dampers. In this purpose, a viscoelastic damper with displacement limitter is devised, in which the latter limits the stroke of the damper within a specified value. In a small range of the damper stroke, usual viscoelastic resistance is exerted. For large input, excessive displacement of the damper is avoided and the story stiffness increases by the action of limitter.
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the vibration response characteristics of a 3-storied test frame provided with the dampers based on test and to verify the effectiveness of the proposed vibration control system.