Seismic Dampers are used in damping the oscillations of a building during an earthquake. ... The Dampers allow the building to move elastically and dissipate the energy of the earthquake. This, in turn, produces substantial savings as structural elements can be optimized for cost savings.

How does a seismic damper work?

Seismic dampers dissipate the energy of seismic waves moving through a building structure. ... Dampers work by converting the kinetic energy of bouncing or swaying into heat energy, which then (typically) dissipates into hydraulic fluid.

Are seismic dampers expensive?

It may seem surprising that dampers tend to reduce the cost of structures. Achieving a given seismic performance using dampers tends to be less expensive (depending on the cost of the dampers) than if you were trying to do so by using brute force stiffening methods alone (Shear walls, stiff braces etc.).