Optimal integrated seismic design of structural and viscoelastic bracing‐damper systems

Passive structural control techniques are generally used as seismic rehabilitation and retrofit methodologies for existing structures. A poorly explored and exciting opportunity within structural seismic control research is represented by the possibility to design new structural forms and configurations, such as slender buildings, without compromising the structural performance through an integrated design approach. In this paper, with reference to viscous dampers, an integrated seismic design procedure of the elastic stiffness resources and viscoelastic properties of a dissipative bracing‐damper system is proposed and developed to ensure a seismic design performance, within the displacement‐based seismic design, explicitly taking into account the dynamic behaviour both of the structural and control systems. The optimal integrated seismic design is defined as the combination of the variables that minimizes a suitable index, representing an optimized objective function. Numerical examples of the proposed integrated cost‐effectiveness seismic design approach both on an equivalent SDOF system and a proportionally damped MDOF integrated system are developed defining the design variables, which minimize the cost index. Validation of the effectiveness of the proposed integrated design procedure is carried out by evaluating the average displacement of the time‐history responses to seven unscaled acceleration records selected according to EC8 provisions. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Design of passive systems for control of inelastic structures

A design strategy for control of buildings experiencing inelastic deformations during seismic response is formulated. The strategy is using weakened, and/or softened, elements in a structural system while adding passive energy dissipation devices (e.g. viscous fluid devices, etc.) in order to control simultaneously accelerations and deformations response during seismic events. A design methodology is developed to determine the locations and the magnitude of weakening and/or softening of structural elements and the added damping while insuring structural stability. A two‐stage design procedure is suggested: (i) first using a nonlinear active control algorithm, to determine the new structural parameters while insuring stability, then (ii) determine the properties of equivalent structural parameters of passive system, which can be implemented by removing or weakening some structural elements, or connections, and by addition of energy dissipation systems. Passive dampers and weakened elements are designed using an optimization algorithm to obtain a response as close as possible to an actively controlled system. A case study of a five‐story building subjected to El Centro ground motion, as well as to an ensemble of simulated ground motions, is presented to illustrate the procedure. The results show that following the design strategy, a control of both peak inter‐story drifts and total accelerations can be obtained. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sensitivity analysis for axis rotation diagrid structural systems according to brace angle changes

General regular shaped diagrid structures can express diverse shapes because braces are installed along the exterior faces of the structures and the structures have no columns. However, since irregular shaped structures have diverse variables, studies to assess behaviors resulting from various variables are continuously required to supplement the imperfections related to such variables. In the present study, materials elastic modulus and yield strength were selected as variables for strength that would be applied to diagrid structural systems in the form of Twisters among the irregular shaped buildings classified by Vollers and that affect the structural design of these structural systems. The purpose of this study is to conduct sensitivity analysis for axial rotation diagrid structural systems according to changes in brace angles in order to identify the design variables that have relatively larger effects and the tendencies of the sensitivity of the structures according to changes in brace angles and axial rotation angles.     

重力式挡土墙结构体系可靠度的Monte Carlo模拟

建立了重力式挡土墙倾覆、基底滑移、地基承载力、墙体自身强度等几个失效模式的可靠度分析模型,采用逐步等效平面法计算结构体系的可靠度。假定设计参数为正态分布的随机变量,利用MATLAB软件的库函数normrnd实现随机样本的抽取。选择重力式挡土墙的实际算例对挡土墙改建后的几个失效模式及结构体系的可靠度进行分析,并与作者所做的其它理论分析结果进行了对比。数值模拟表明两种方法的结果能较好相符。     

Design of multiple tuned mass dampers by using a numerical optimizer

A new method to design multiple tuned mass dampers (multiple TMDs) for minimizing excessive vibration of structures has been developed using a numerical optimizer. It is a very powerful method by which a large number of design variables can be effectively handled without imposing any restriction before the analysis. Its framework is highly flexible and can be easily extended to general structures with different combinations of loading conditions and target controlled quantities. The method has been used to design multiple TMDs for SDOF structures subjected to wide‐band excitation. Some novel results have been obtained. To reduce displacement response of the structure, the optimally designed multiple TMDs have distributed natural frequencies and distinct damping ratios at low damping level. The obtained optimal configuration of TMDs was different from the earlier analytical solutions and was proved to be the most effective. A robustness design of multiple TMDs has also been presented. Robustness is defined as the ability of TMDs to function properly despite the presence of uncertainties in the parameters of the system. Numerical examples of minimizing acceleration structural response have been given where the system parameters are uncertain and are modeled as independent normal variates. It was found that, in case of uncertainties in the structural properties, increasing the TMD damping ratios along with expanding the TMD frequency range make the system more robust. Meanwhile, if TMD parameters themselves are uncertain, it is necessary to design TMDs for higher damping ratios and a narrower frequency range. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Damping characteristics of friction damped braced frame and its effectiveness in the mega-sub controlled structure system

Based on energy dissipation and structural control principle, a new structural configuration, called the mega- sub controlled structure (MSCS) with friction damped braces (FDBs), is first presented. Meanwhile, to calculate the damping coefficient in the slipping state a new analytical method is proposed. The damping characteristics of one-storey friction damped braced frame (FDBF) are investigated, and the influence of the structural parameters on the energy dissipation and the practical engineering design are discussed. The nonlinear dynamic equations and the analytical model of the MSCS with FDBs are established. Three building structures with different structural configurations, which were designed with reference to the conventional mega-sub structures such as used in Tokyo City Hall, are comparatively investigated. The results illustrate that the structure presented in the paper has excellent dynamic properties and satisfactory control effectiveness.     

工程结构粘弹性消能支撑型式及设计参数的研究

针对工程中的实际需要,提出一些新型的粘弹性消能支撑型式,分析了它们的受力特点,推导了消能支撑变形的表达式,并给出了其控制力的计算公式;最后,研究了影响结构消能效果的设计参数,给出了设计参数合理的取值范围。     

安装MR阻尼器工程结构的非参数模型自适应控制

本文首先建立了结构一磁流变阻尼器非线性系统的非参数模型,该模型不需要太多的受控结构的先验知识,且具有结构简单、参数少,是时变增量形式等优点,因此适合于非线性控制系统的设计。在此基础上,本文提出了非参数模型学习自适应半主动控制算法,并以一个6层框架结构为例,进行了深入的仿真数值分析。计算结果表明,采用本文提出的控制算法能得到令人满意的控制效果。通过在较大范围内选取结构参数值,验证了算法具有较好的鲁棒性。     

Decision support for conceptual performance‐based design

Performance assessment implies that the structural, non‐structural, and content systems are given and that decision variables, DVs, (e.g. expected annual loss, mean annual frequency of collapse) are computed and compared to specified performance targets. Performance‐based design (PBD) is different by virtue of the fact that the building and its components and systems first have to be created. Good designs are based on concepts that incorporate performance targets up front in the conceptual design process, so that subsequent performance assessment becomes more of a verification process of an efficient design rather than a design improvement process that may require radical changes of the initial design concept. In short, the design approach could consist of (a) specifying performance targets (e.g. tolerable probability of collapse, acceptable dollar losses) and associated seismic hazards, and (b) deriving engineering parameters for system selection, or perhaps better, using the relatively simple design decision support tools discussed in this paper. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seismic design or retrofit of buildings with metallic structural fuses by the damage-reduction spectrum

Recently, the structural fuse has become an important issue in the field of earthquake engineering. Due to the trilinearity of the pushover curve of buildings with metallic structural fuses, the mechanism of the structural fuse is investigated through the ductility equation of a single-degree-of-freedom system, and the corresponding damage-reduction spectrum is proposed to design and retrofit buildings. Furthermore, the controlling parameters, the stiffness ratio between the main frame and structural fuse and the ductility factor of the main frame, are parametrically studied, and it is shown that the structural fuse concept can be achieved by specific combinations of the controlling parameters based on the proposed damage-reduction spectrum. Finally, a design example and a retrofit example, variations of real engineering projects after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed design procedures using buckling restrained braces as the structural fuses.     

Optimum hysteretic damper design for multi-story timber structures represented by an improved pinching model

Timber structures are characterized by a pinching phenomenon that leads to reduced dissipative capability. A few hysteretic models have been proposed to simulate the mechanical behavior of timber structures, among which the one composed of a bilinear element and a slip element in parallel has been popular in practice. Based on this model, this paper expands on the existing seismic control design methodology to determine the capacity of hysteretic dampers for multi-story timber structures. The equivalent linearization method for a single-degree-of-freedom timber structure with added hysteretic damper is established and is verified through nonlinear timber history analysis over a wide range of structural parameters. The design formulas for determining the damper capacity for a multi-degree-of-freedom system are derived, based on the concept of adjusting the distribution of equivalent stiffness of structure. The seismic control design is applied to many buildings with randomly generated parameters and the effectiveness is confirmed through a nonlinear time history analysis with four sets of seismic excitations. An extended study has shown that the shear force pattern plays an important role in the seismic control design results and thus the performance of structures. The effectiveness of the control of residual deformations by adding dampers is also studied.     

钢筋混凝土框架结构造价与失效概率之间的近似关系研究

本文以层间位移角作为结构性能参数,分析了钢筋混凝土框架结构层间变形能力,以及在水平地震作用下层间位移反应。考虑钢筋混凝土框架结构材料强度和几何尺寸以及地震作用的不确定性,得出了在设计基准期内结构的失效概率。同时分析了不同设计参数下结构的最小造价,在此基础上,确定了结构最小造价和失效概率之间的近似关系。目的是为采用“投资—效益“准则确定该类型结构目标性能水平提供分析依据,从而为采用基于性能抗震设计理念制定建筑结构抗震设计规范提供基础研究。本文中,结构失效概率指结构最终极限状态的失效概率。     

Substructure design optimization and nonlinear responses control analysis of the mega-sub controlled structural system(MSCSS) under earthquake action

The newly proposed mega sub-controlled structure system(MSCSS) and related studies have drawn the attention of civil engineers for practice in improving the performance and enhancing the structural effectiveness of mega frame structures. However, there is still a need for improvement to its basic structural arrangement. In this project, an advanced, reasonable arrangement of mega sub-controlled structure models, composed of three mega stories with different numbers and arrangements of substructures, are designed to investigate the control performance of the models and obtain the optimal model configuration(model with minimum acceleration and displacement responses) under strong earthquake excitation. In addition, the dynamic parameters that affect the performance effectiveness of the optimal model of MSCSS are studied and discussed. The area of the relative stiffness ratio RD, with different mass ratio MR, within which the acceleration and displacement of the optimal model of MSCSS reaches its optimum(minimum) value is considered as an optimum region. It serves as a useful tool in practical engineering design. The study demonstrates that the proposed MSCSS configuration can efficiently control the displacement and acceleration of high rise buildings. In addition, some analytical guidelines are provided for selecting the control parameters of the structure.     

Performance‐based design with semi‐active structural control technique

The recent spate of large earthquakes has triggered diverse performance requirements for structures. This has led to increasing worldwide interest in performance‐based design methods. To establish such methods, however, it is necessary to evaluate structure conditions after defining the loads, and this is difficult to accomplish. On the other hand, there has been steady progress on research and development of structural control techniques for improving structural performance. These technological innovations need to be rationally incorporated into structural design. In particular, semi‐active structural control techniques are effective in improving structural performance during large earthquakes. By effectively incorporating them into the design, it is possible to meet the various structural performance requirements. This paper first outlines the various structural control methods and focuses on the semi‐active structural control technique as the main topic. It then describes an example to verify the effectiveness of the semi‐active structural control technique in high‐rise buildings. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Semi‐active tuned mass damper building systems: Design

Passive and semi‐active tuned mass damper (PTMD and SATMD) building systems are proposed to mitigate structural response due to seismic loads. The structure's upper portion self plays a role either as a tuned mass passive damper or a semi‐active resetable device is adopted as a control feature for the PTMD, creating a SATMD system. Two‐degree‐of‐freedom analytical studies are employed to design the prototype structural system, specify its element characteristics and effectiveness for seismic responses, including defining the resetable device dynamics. The optimal parameters are derived for the large mass ratio by numerical analysis. For the SATMD building system the stiffness of the resetable device design is combined with rubber bearing stiffness. From parametric studies, effective practical control schemes can be derived for the SATMD system. To verify the principal efficacy of the conceptual system, the controlled system response is compared with the response spectrum of the earthquake suites used. The control ability of the SATMD scheme is compared with that of an uncontrolled (No TMD) and an ideal PTMD building systems for multi‐level seismic intensity. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

随机地震动作用下的结构振动控制试验设计

研究了随机地震动作用下基于MR阻尼器的结构振动控制振动台试验设计的若干问题。首先,由原型结构按动力相似关系进行了模型结构的设计,基于ANSYS模态分析的结果识别出了其结构参数;其次,基于物理随机地震动模型生成了试验地震动样本,根据试验要求调整了各地震动样本的加速度峰值;然后,基于MATLAB对试验模型进行了随机地震动作用下无控与主动控制数值仿真分析;最后,结合ANSYS弹塑性动力时程分析,研究了试验模型的动力稳定性。介绍的振动控制试验设计方法可供进行类似试验设计的研究人员参考。     

Composite robust active control of seismically excited structures with actuator dynamics

In this paper, composite robust active control schemes are proposed for a class of non-linear base isolated structures in the presence of unknown seismic excitation, parametrical uncertainties and actuator dynamics. Only the information on state variables of the structural base and the first floor of the main structure has been used in the control design. A numerical simulation example is given for a ten-storeyed base isolated structure under the El Centro earthquake to show the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

抗震设计中结构的性能等级与设计性能安全指数

通常根据结构的破坏程度可以将结构的破坏划分为：基本完好、轻微破坏、中等破坏、严重破坏、倒塌等5个阶段。根据这5个阶段,本文将结构在地震过程中的性能极限状态划分为：功能连续极限状态、破坏控制极限状态、控制损失极限状态和防止倒塌极限状态,并以此作为划分结构性能等级的标准。定义结构失效概率的自然对数的负值为设计性能安全指数,通过计算结构失效概率对各构件可靠指标的一阶偏导数的方法,求出结构的设计性能安全等级。这种方法可以考虑建筑结构构件、建筑非结构构件以及其它非结构构件的性能,而且同时可以考虑结构系统总体效应的影响,因而能够比较全面地反映结构的抗震性能等级。     

Decentralized robust control of building structures under seismic excitations

Many of the control algorithms proposed for structures subjected to seismic excitations are based on a centralized design philosophy, such as the linear quadratic regulator (LQR) design. The information of all the states of the system is usually required in these methods to determine the control command. For applications involving large‐scale systems, it may be more convenient to design decentralized controllers that depend only on the information of the local states for control command calculation. In this study, a nonlinear decentralized robust control algorithm is proposed. The structural system is decomposed into several artificially uncoupled subsystems. The interconnections between adjacent subsystems are treated as uncertain but bounded disturbances to the subsystems. The controller associated with one subsystem determines the control command based only on the states of the local subsystem. Numerical examples of linear and nonlinear structural models are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed controller. The traditional LQR design is used as a baseline for comparison. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.