## 7 Analysis Results and Observations
The target loading steps for observing field contours and the measurement points for monitoring stress-strain history output curves are illustrated in Figure 13(a,b), respectively. Four target loading steps (_i.e._, S1 = 5 mm, S2 = 10 mm, S3 = 17.5 mm, and S4 = 0 mm) are selected during FE analyses. Five monitoring set points used to independently measure uniaxial stress-strain history outputs (_i.e._, MP1 to MP5) are assigned to the FE models, as plotted in Figure 13b. Except for the MP3 point assigned to the middle of the strip, the other four points can detect plastic hinges caused by bending moment at the end of the support. The bending mechanism can be verified by the stress-stain curves measured from these set points. Figure 11: Applied force _vs._ displacement curves for recentering slit damper models, (**a**): SL1 SMA Model; (**b**): SL2 SMA Model; (**c**): SL3 SMA Model; (**d**): SL4 SMA Model; (**e**): SL5 SMA Model and (**f**): SL6 SMA Model. Figure 12: Simulated curves for the behavior of individual components (4 SMA bars and steel slit damper) and the total behavior of the recentering slit damper systems, (**a**): SL4-Model and (**b**): SL-5 Model. According to individual displacement loading steps, the field contours for axial stress (S11) and axial strain (L11) components distributed over the recentering slit damper (SL4-SMA model) are presented in Figures 14 and 15, respectively. The magnitudes of the field contours are displayed with the legend of the colored bar graph. The orange-colored (under tension stress) and blue-colored (under compression stress) contours, which are intensively distributed at the end of strips and SMA bending bars, indicate the onset of plastic yielding. The symmetric distribution between tension and compression has an influence on the bending mechanism. As the displacement load applied to the recentering slit damper increases, plastic stress contours spread toward the middle of strips and SMA bending bars. The recentering slit dampers subjected to 17.5 mm displacement loads experience almost ultimate condition. Although the last loading step (S4) reinstates the SL4-SMA model from the previous ultimate load, residual stresses even exceeding the yield level are intensively distributed over both ends of the strips. In contrast, the SMA bending bars are not susceptible to yield stress, and recover their original shape with almost zero residual stress at the last loading step. These SMA bending bars preserve the recentering slit damper from out-of-plane deformation generally arising due to instability. It can be concluded that the superelastic SMA bending bars play a prominent role to stabilize the damper system as well as to decrease permanent deformation. The axial strain field contours exhibit the same plasticity pattern as the corresponding axial stress field contours under the identical loading step (Figure 15). Figure 14: Axial stress components (S11) distributed over the slip plate damper (SL4-SMA model) according to individual loading steps (Unit: MPa). Figure 13: Target loading steps for field contour observation, (**a**): Displacement Loading History and (**b**): Measurement Points. Figure 16: True stress and strain curves at the measurement points, (**a**): MP1 Measurement Point; (**b**): MP2 Measurement Point; (**c**): MP3 Measurement Point; (**d**): MP4 Measurement Point and (**e**): MP5 Measurement Point. Figure 15: Axial strain components (LE11) distributed over the slip plate damper (SL4-SMA model) according to individual loading steps (Unit: rad). The stress and strain curves obtained from the measurement points are shown in Figure 16. The resulting curves measured at the end of the strip (e.g., MP1 and MP2 points) exceed the limit of plastic yielding (316.5 MPa). Furthermore, nonlinear isotropic and kinematic hardening behavior affected by base material's properties may be observed during cyclic loading. On the contrary, the middle of the strip where relatively less bending moment occurs (MP3 point) keeps the elastic condition during all cyclic loading.