Citation: Miao, F.; Nejati,F.; Zubair, S.A.M.; Yassin, M.E. Seismic Performance of Eccentrical Braced Frame Retrofitted by Box Damper in Vertical Links. Buildings 2022, 12, 1506. https://doi.org/10.3390/ buildings12101506 Academic Editor: Andreas Lampropoulos Received: 18 August 2022 Accepted: 10 September 2022 Published: 22 September 2022 Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affil- iations. Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). buildings Article Seismic Performance of Eccentrical Braced Frame Retrofitted by Box Damper in Vertical Links Fei Miao 1 , Faezeh Nejati 2, * , Sulima Ahmed Mohammed Zubair 3 and Mona Elmahi Yassin 3 1 Yongcheng Vocational College, Yongcheng 476600, China 2 Ayandegan Institute of Higher Education, Tonekabon 4681853617, Iran 3 Department of Mathematics, College of Science and Arts, Qassim University, Ar Rass 52571, Saudi Arabia * Correspondence: civilinj1998@gmail.com; Tel.: +98-9111931231 Abstract: Passive control methods reduced the vulnerability of structures to earthquakes by decreas- ing the seismic demand and improving structural plasticity. One of the passive control systems is the eccentrically braced frame with a vertical shear link (V-EBF). The present study aims to direct the damage to the absorbing plates of the vertical link beam to allow the structure’s appropriate seismic performance and reparability. Yielding dampers are one of the most widely used types in systems and can provide perfect vibration control if used optimally. Different types of dampers were introduced and used; how to use them depends on the shape and the way they connect to the structure. This research investigates a new type of damper called box damper, an improved type of shear panel damper. The improvement in the way of connecting to the braced frame and the ease of using this damper in different situations are the features of this new damper. This research investigated the mechanism of these yielding dampers in structures and their strengths and weaknesses. In the next step in this study, a V-EBF with plates of thickness 4, 6, and 8 mm was analysed in the finite element software ABAQUS using the nonlinear static analysis and cyclic loading conditions. Some examples of this damper were attached to the braced frames to investigate the effect of using this damper on the seismic behaviour of the braced structures. The results show that the shear link performs like an electrical fuse absorbing all damage and plastic hinges so that other elements of the braced frame remain in their nonlinear elastic region. By increasing the thickness of the damper from 2 to 8 mm, the resistance increased by two times, and the flexibility of the structure had a noticeable change with the rise in thickness from 2 mm to 8 mm. Ductility increased from 38 to 75 mm. Keywords: eccentrically braced frame; vertical link; seismic performance; hysteresis diagram 1. Introduction In recent years, earthquakes have caused a lot of damage to structures and buildings in the country. There are different ways to deal with this problem, and in the last few decades, paying attention to the design of structures based on performance as one of the newest approaches has been welcomed by the scientific engineering community [1–4]. In 2021, Marco Zucca et al. presented a proposed framework to optimise the tuned mass damper (TMD) design. First, linear time-history analyses were carried out to deter- mine the structural improvements in top displacement, base shear, and bending moment. In the second phase, masonry’s nonlinear behaviour was considered, and a fibre model of the chimney was implemented. Finally, pushover analyses were performed to obtain the structure’s capacity curve and evaluate the TMD’s performance. The linear and nonlinear analysis results revealed the effectiveness of the proposed TMD design procedure for slender masonry structures [4]. Different ways can be mentioned to control these forces, for example, increasing the strength and stiffness of the structure or increasing the flexibility. In addition, it prevents inelastic deformations that occur in structures. One of the essential principles proposed Buildings 2022, 12, 1506. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12101506 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/buildings