Buckling Inhibited Metal Shear Panels: a New Damper Based on the Development of the BRB Concept in the 2D Space

In the current paper, an innovative dissipative shear panel for seismic protection of steel and reinforced concrete buildings is dealt with. It represents an extension of the Buckling Restrained Brace concept in the bi-dimensional space, as it is based on the use of a metal plate, made of aluminum or steel, representing the core of a damper whose hysteretic response could be properly controlled by an external jacket able to inhibit either the most important or, even, all the buckling phenomena under shear forces. The main results of an experimental campaign carried out under cyclic loads on both partially and totally Buckling Inhibited Shear Panels, made of different metallic materials and thicknesses, are analyzed and presented. Two different solutions are analyzed. The former is conceived in order that the buckling inhibition system restrains the out-of-plane displacements of the plate portions centered around the two diagonals, which are more sensible to the firsts and most important critical modes. The latter is based on devices able to restrain the out-of-plane displacements of the whole system. The obtained results allow to observe the significant improvement of dissipative capacity that the buckling inhibition devices are able to provide. Nevertheless, it is pointed out that for reduced thicknesses of the base plate, the system performance could be jeopardized due to the gap between the inhibiting and the inhibited parts within which buckling phenomena could develop