Pseudo-dynamic tests on two buildings retrofitted with damped braces

Seismic tests have been conducted on two 3-storey buildings protected with fluid-viscous spring damper devices. One of the buildings was a reinforced concrete frame with clay elements in the slabs, while the other one was a steel frame with steel/concrete composite slabs. The spring dampers were installed through K bracing in between the floors. The tests were performed by means of the pseudodynamic method on full-size specimens and by implementing a specific compensation strategy for the strain-rate effects at the devices. The tests results allowed to compare the behaviour of the unprotected buildings with several protected configurations showing the benefits of the application of the devices and the characteristics of their behaviour.