Takenaka Corporation, NIMS and Awaji Materia Co., Ltd. have jointly developed a brace-type seismic damper made of an Fe-Mn-Si-based alloy which is approximately 10 times more fatigue resistant than the steel material widely used in current seismic dampers. The new dampers have been integrated into the framework of the new Aichi International Convention and Exhibition Center.
Takenaka Corporation (Masato Sasaki, president), NIMS (Kazuhito Hashimoto, president) and Awaji Materia Co., Ltd. (Takahiko Mio, president) have jointly developed a brace-type seismic damper made of an Fe-Mn-Si-based alloy (patent registered) which is approximately 10 times more fatigue resistant than the steel material widely used in current seismic dampers. The new dampers have been integrated into the framework of the new Aichi International Convention and Exhibition Center (aka Aichi Sky Expo) in Tokoname City, Aichi Prefecture, which opened to the public on August 30, 2019.
The joint development of the new brace-type seismic damper was driven by efforts to create technologies, based on the previously developed shear panel dampers which were incorporated into the JP Tower Nagoya in 2014, capable of enabling buildings to withstand long-period, long-duration earthquakes. This technology has been put into practical use thanks to the development of a method of mass producing large pieces of Fe-Mn-Si-based fatigue-resistant alloy as well as a technique used to effectively weld the alloy with steel. This versatile brace-type damper can be installed in a wider variety of structures than current dampers, from ordinary buildings to skyscrapers, and is expected to be able to accommodate various space use plans.
The new alloy possesses excellent durability and corrosion resistance in addition to its superb fatigue resistance. In future research, we plan to leverage the new seismic damper’s versatility by promoting its use in a variety of industries, including the architectural industry and civil engineering.
