Steel Structures Research Update: Self-Centering Column Base Connections with Friction Dampers

Recent work on a self-centering column base connection with friction dampers is highlighted. This research is a collaborative effort by Senior Researcher Massimo Latour and Professor Gianvittorio Rizzano from the University of Salerno, Italy, and Professors Aldina Santiago and Luis Simões da Silva of the University of Coimbra, Portugal. The Salerno-Coimbra team has developed an alternative self-centering column base solution to minimize initial costs and economic losses. Specific objectives are to limit damage and residual drifts, with connection components that are easy to repair or replace if needed. The self-centering column base has been validated through quasi-static cyclic testing and pseudo-dynamic testing. The self-centering connection has also been investigated through numerical time-history analyses of moment-resisting frames comparing conventional, fixed column bases to self-centering column bases. Some highlights of the research are presented.