An Overview of Optimal Damper Placement Methods in Structures

In recent years, energy dissipative systems have been used as effective devices in structures subjected to earthquake loads. The optimal design of dampers has gained popularity as a research topic during the last four decades. That is widely notable that dampers can contribute a unique function in dynamic structures by considerably reducing the dynamic response. The efficient design and configuration of the passive dampers are essential for the mitigation of damages due to the earthquake in the structure. Thus, finding the optimal placement of dampers has a key role in the protection of the building. However, the remaining difficulty in damping devices is determining the parameters and placement of each damper. This paper presents an overview of the optimal damper distribution as passive systems for energy dissipation in order to retrofit structures against the earthquakes. That is quite essential for determining the location of these devices for simulating the structures with dampers effectively. Nevertheless, the reaction of the structure requires to be identified for applying the dampers. General results have been achieved regarding optimal damper configuration in the structures.