Seismic Performance of Self-centering Steel Frames with SMA-viscoelastic Hybrid Braces

This study presents a novel hybrid self-centering system aiming to overcome critical shortcomings identified in the existing self-centering solution. Two types of hybrid brace incorporating shape memory alloy elements and integrated viscoelastic dampers are first introduced, followed by a system-level analysis on a series of prototype buildings. The results show that using viscoelastic material to reach a moderate damping ratio is highly effective in peak and residual deformation control. Floor acceleration is also effectively controlled by the hybrid solution. A parametric study is then conducted, and design recommendations are given. A probability-based residual deformation prediction model is finally proposed.