Abstract
Piping systems are integral components of building facilities, with their functionality encompassing various roles. Numerous damage cases to these essential systems were reported in the aftermath of the Tohoku and Kumamoto earthquakes. Notably, some instances of failure were attributed to inadequacies in pipe support structures. These incidents have led to more rigorous safety standards for seismic design in building facilities, promoting the development of dampers that utilize friction, among other techniques, to enhance seismic resistance. However, conventional approaches to enhancing damping force through friction are not without issues. Given the metallic nature of both clamps and pipes, their points of contact tend to devolve into point contacts. This condition raises the risk of rattling and twisting, potentially yielding unstable responses in piping systems during seismic events. This paper introduces a novel pipe support structure that provides stable damping force through friction between the pipe and the support system. Static load tests were conducted using an actuator to validate the proposed structure's effectiveness. The resultant hysteresis loop of the load-displacement relationship demonstrated a stable damping force that closely aligns with the model shape expressed by Coulomb friction. Further, the consistency of these hysteresis loops suggests the potential for effective modeling using conventional, general-purpose codes. This research not only sheds light on the issues with current practices but also offers a viable solution that could enhance the seismic resilience of piping systems.
