Steel self-centring device
This system consists of an original steel self-centring device (SSCD) for improving the level of seismic protection of new and existing structures. This hysteretic device exhibits two technical features essential to protecting structures against the effects of an earthquake: self-centring and recovery of the structure's original dissipative capability after a seismic event. The whole system was studied within the STEELRETRO project [19]. In order to optimize the hysteretic behaviour, various grades of steelwere tested, used not only in traditional structural engineering applications, but also in automotive engineering and packaging, and a full-scale prototype SSCD was finally realized. Its mechanical and dissipative performance was experimentally verified through cyclic tests, testing several configurations of the prestressing cables and dissipative elements. In Fig. 7a the assembling scheme of the dissipative device is reported, while in Fig. 7b the experimental cyclic hysteretic curve is shown.
