Reduction of the seismic absolute acceleration response with supplemental viscous damping

The relationship between the seismic absolute acceleration response of single- and multi-degree-of freedom building models and the amount of supplemental viscous damping is analyzed. Possible influence of the fundamental period, the number of stories, and the frequency content of the excitation is evaluated. It was found that, qualitatively, the relationship between the absolute acceleration response and the amount of supplemental viscous damping is different from that between the displacement response and the amount of supplemental viscous damping. The implications of the findings of this study for the design of supplemental viscous damping systems aimed at reducing the absolute acceleration response of buildings are discussed.