Question

Suppose you designed a "viscous damper" to minimize rotation placed on a moment frame joint during an earthquake. How would you describe this design to your client?

Answer

A viscous damper can be thought of as a shock absorber about 10 feet (3 meters) long placed on the top of a shear wall. It allows the shear wall to transmit energy from its diaphragm to the structure frame over a period of microseconds rather than all at once.