Behavior explanation and a new model for nonlinear viscous fluid dampers with a simple annular orifice

Viscous fluid dampers have been used in many building and bridge construction projects for earthquake damage mitigation. Previous study has shown that silicone oil properties, such as the fluid shear-thinning and relaxation effects, play important roles for the annular-orificed fluid damper behavior, and the Navier-Stokes equations based on these mechanisms were developed. In the current study, attempts are made to explain the effects of frequency, damper dimensions, and viscosity of silicone oil on the damper stiffness behavior using the developed equations. It is found that the developed equations successfully explain the observed phenomena. To avoid the complicated fluid dynamics analyses for damper parameters, such as the damping factor and the velocity power exponent, a new four-parameter equation considering both the fluid shear-thinning and stiffness effects, with a form similar to the widely used two- or three-parameter equation is proposed. The results of the new model successfully capture the damper behavior both at low and high frequencies and show an advantage that better consistent results can be obtained in the velocity range for the building and bridge applications.