SBIR Phase I: Structural Fuse - Sacrificial Energy Dissipation Mechanism for Structural Application

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project surrounds the development of a sacrificial energy dissipation mechanism for structural applications with globally significant commercial potential. The structures that are the intended initial application for the device represent over $2 billion in annual shipments per year in the United States alone. However, these structures exist all over the globe. This device will open up the market for these structures in regions of high seismicity, where structures of other material composition currently corner the market. Implementation of this device will also create significant cost savings in comparison to competing structures, as the speed of construction is much more rapid, reducing overall construction costs, especially in low-income regions of the world that experience seismic activity. The asymmetric axial response concept is unique in the field of structural engineering and this research offers a novel addition to the existing body of knowledge. The intellectual merit of this project centers on a unique concept that will allow certain types of structures, currently not permitted due to governing safety codes, to be built in high-seismic regions. The concept is that of asymmetric axial strength and stiffness, whereby a mechanical device loaded axially in one direction provides a different response to that of the device loaded axially in the opposite direction. Although this project's objective is to develop this concept for a specific application, there exists the potential for this concept to be developed for additional applications in the future. Ongoing university research, funded by industry, seeks to find a solution to this specific seismic design problem, but has not taken the direction that this project intends to take. The ultimate research objective for this Phase I effort is to determine a geometric configuration such that the concept can be physically realized in the form of a working mechanical device. The research will include finite element modeling and numerical simulations coupled with the testing of physical prototype specimens through cyclic axial loading sequences. It is anticipated that a working configuration will be discovered, tested, modeled, and placed into a full-frame model for additional simulation.