Multi-step snap-through structures with programmable energy dissipation characteristics for vibration suppression of jacket structures

Steel jacket structures exposed to environmental impacts can experience intense dynamic responses, leading to potential localized fatigue failure, plastic deformation, and even catastrophic collapse. Therefore, the jacket structure needs to possess both high stiffness and large damping to cope with impacts and dissipate dynamic energy. A novel damper with programmable mechanical behaviors and damping performance has been designed by using the contact interaction between two columns. Analytical models have been derived to investigate the effect of design parameters on mechanical behaviors and dissipation capacity of the damper and provide guidance for practical applications. Experiments and finite element analysis indicate that the stiffness-damping comprehensive performance of the damper is far superior to the general materials and other nonlinear structures that rely on elastic buckling to achieve energy dissipation. For potential engineering applications, the vibration decay responses of a three-dimensional jacket structure installed with the damper were simulated using ABAQUS software. The results indicate that the damper can serve as a potential candidate for achieving simultaneously high stiffness and large damping in marine engineering structures.