Journal of Steel & Structure

Journal of Steel & Structure

Comparative Performance Evaluation of Passive Control Systems for Steel Structures under External Blast Loading

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Ali Jalaeefar 1
Amin Vaezzadeh 2
1 Islamic Azad University, North Tehran Branch
2 Sharif University of Technology
10.22034/jss.2025.225723
Abstract
Buildings have always been vulnerable to natural disasters such as floods, storms, and earthquakes. However, with advances in military technology in recent decades, in addition to these traditional threats, buildings are increasingly exposed to risks associated with bombings and explosions. Steel structures, typically designed according to conventional codes to withstand standard loads, are generally lightweight and lack the capacity to resist blast loads. In recent decades, the use of structural control systems to dissipate seismic energy and reduce damage has become increasingly prevalent. These control systems function by either absorbing the energy or preventing it from entering the structure, thereby mitigating the extent of structural damage. This study investigates the effectiveness of passive control systems—including viscous dampers, buckling-restrained braces (BRBs), and friction dampers—in improving the structural response under external blast loading. The results indicate that while the implementation of dampers does not significantly alter the peak roof displacement, it leads to a more uniform distribution of displacement across the stories, preventing excessive inter-story drift concentrations and thereby reducing the maximum drift ratio. Among the systems evaluated, viscous dampers demonstrated the most effective performance under blast loading by significantly reducing both the maximum drift and the ductility demand on the structure. Although BRBs and friction dampers also improved structural performance, they contributed to increased structural stiffness.
Keywords
Blast loading
passive control
nonlinear analysis
strain rate-sensitive behavior
genetic algorithm
maximum drift
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  • Receive Date 23 July 2025
  • First Publish Date 23 July 2025
  • Publish Date 21 March 2025