Full-Scale Seismic Performance Testing of a Predamaged Two-Story Traditional Timber Frame on a Slope Reinforced Using Viscoelastic Dampers

Abstract

A viscoelastic damper (VED) reinforcement option focusing on recovering the seismic performance of earthquake-damaged historic timber structures on a slope, as regulated by a direct displacement-based design procedure, was proposed in an attempt to extend the service life of culture buildings while ensuring deformation control of the weak area. A timber frame with an unequal height of column feet (UF) was designed, and a timber frame with an equal height of column feet (EF) served as the control group. The two full-scale timber frames consist of two-story units, a roof, and four spans. A series of cyclic loading tests were conducted on Models EF and UF to investigate the seismic performance of timber frames before and after reinforcement. It was found that the pulling out of the tenon and the sliding of column feet was significant at the upper embedding end. The upper embedding story is the weak area of the timber structure on a slope. The damage patterns of the two damped frames were not significantly different from those of the corresponding bare frames, and the ductility coefficients of all tested frames were greater than 10. The test results also revealed that the designed VED restored the seismic performance of the UF to the undamaged level while effectively controlling the deformation of its weak area. In addition, the effect of uniformly arranged dampers on the seismic performance of timber frame UF was also investigated.