Optimum placement and characteristics of velocity-dependent dampers under seismic excitation

In this study,through novel drift-based equations of motion in the frequency domain,optimum placement and characteristics of linear velocity-dependent dampers are investigated.In this study,the sum of the square of the absolute values of transfer matrix elements for interstory drifts is considered as the optimization index.Optimum placement and characteristics of dampers are simultaneously obtained by minimizing the optimization index through an incremental procedure.In each step of the procedure,a predefined value is considered as the damper characteristic.The optimum story for this increment is selected such that it leads to a minimum value for the optimization index.The procedure is repeated for the next increments until the optimization index meets its target value,which is obtained according to the desired damping ratio for the overall structure.In other words,the desired overall damping ratio is the input to the proposed procedure,and the optimal placement and characteristics of the dampers are its output.It is observed that the optimal placement of a velocitydependent damper depends on the damping coefficient of the added damper,frequency of the excitation,and distribution of the mass,stiffness,and inherent damping of the main structure.     

Discussion on ＂Optimum placement and characteristics of velocitydependent dampers under seismic excitation＂ by Seyed Amin Mousavi and Amir K. Ghorbani-Tanha

The authors presented an interesting aspect in viscous or visco-elastic damper optimization under earthquake excitation. They also reviewed the research development in the field of passive damper optimization.     

安装速度相关型消能器结构直接基于位移可靠度的抗震设计方法

考察了大震作用下安装速度相关型消能器结构的薄弱层层间位移可靠度指标增大系数与原无控结构薄弱层层间位移可靠度指标、第一振型附加阻尼比和粘弹性材料损耗因子之间的定量关系,提出了该类有控结构直接基于位移可靠度的抗震设计步骤。     

Impact of seismic excitation characteristics on the efficiency of tuned liquid column dampers

Various types of passive control systems have been used to suppress the seismic response of structures in recent years. Among these systems, Tuned Liquid Column Dampers （TLCDs） dissipate the input earthquake energy by combining the effects of the movement of the liquid mass in the container, the restoring force on the liquid due to the gravity loads and the damping due to the liquid movement through orifices. In this study, the effects of seismic excitation characteristics such as frequency content and soil condition on the seismic performance of TLCDs are investigated using nonlinear time-history analyses. In this regard, among the past earthquake ground motion records of Iran, 16 records with different parameters were selected. In the structural model developed, the attached TLCD is simulated as a Tuned Mass Damper （TMD） having the same vibration period and damping ratio as the original TLCD. The numerical results show that the seismic excitation characteristics have a substantial role on the displacement reduction capability of TLCDs and they should be considered accordingly in the design of TLCDs.     

Experimental and analytical study on the performance of particle tuned mass dampers under seismic excitation

A particle tuned mass damper (PTMD), which is a creative integration of a traditional tuned mass damper and an efficient particle damper in the vibration control area, is proposed. This paper presents a comprehensive study that involves experimental, analytical, and computational approaches. The vibration control effects of a PTMD that is attached to a five‐story steel frame under seismic input are investigated by a series of shaking table tests. The influence of some parameters (auxiliary mass ratio, gap clearance, mass ratio of particles to the total auxiliary mass, frequency characteristics, and amplitude level of the input) is explored, and the performance of the PTMD with/without buffered material is compared. The experimental results show that the PTMD can achieve significant damping effects under seismic excitations, and the bandwidth of the suppression frequency is expanded, showing the device's robustness and control efficiency. In addition, an approximately analytical solution that is based on the concept of an equivalent single‐particle damper is presented, and the method to determine the corresponding system parameters is introduced. A comparative study between experimental and numerical results is conducted to verify the feasibility and accuracy of this analytical model. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nonstationary stochastic response of structural systems equipped with nonlinear viscous dampers under seismic excitation

Nonlinear viscous dampers are supplemental devices widely used for enhancing the performance of structural systems exposed to seismic hazard. A rigorous evaluation of the effect of these damping devices on the seismic performance of a structural system should be based on a probabilistic approach and take into account the evolutionary characteristics of the earthquake input and of the corresponding system response. In this paper, an approximate analytical technique is proposed for studying the nonstationary stochastic response characteristics of hysteretic single degree of freedom systems equipped with viscous dampers subjected to a fully nonstationary random process representing the seismic input. In this regard, a stochastic averaging/linearization technique is utilized to cast the original nonlinear stochastic differential equation of motion into a simple first‐order nonlinear ordinary differential equation for the nonstationary system response variance. In comparison with standard linearization schemes, the herein proposed technique has the significant advantage that it allows to handle realistic seismic excitations with time‐varying frequency content. Further, it allows deriving a formula for determining the nonlinear system response evolutionary power spectrum. By this way, ‘moving resonance’ effects, related to both the evolutionary seismic excitation and the nonlinear system behavior, can be observed and quantified. Several applications involving various system and input properties are included. Furthermore, various response parameters of interest for the seismic performance assessment are considered as well. Comparisons with pertinent Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate the reliability of the proposed technique. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

随机地震下阻尼器的优化设置

根据粘弹性阻尼结构的减震原理,利用随机振动理论中的李雅普诺夫方程求解粘弹性阻尼结构反应的方差矩阵,再以层间位移的方差矩阵为控制函数进行阻尼器的优化设置,并给出发实例分析。     

工程结构地震响应模糊半主动控制

提出了使用MR阻尼器（Magnetorheological Damper）作为控制设备,模糊集为基础的半主动控制算法,并运用提出的算法对土木工程结构地震响应进行了振动控制分析.本文方法的优势在于算法自身的鲁棒性、处理非线性问题的能力和不需要结构的精确数学模型,算法需要的输入变量少,可以解决实际工程中结构响应信息难以测量的困难.模糊算法的输出直接控制MR阻尼器的输入电压,控制器的计算非常简单且易于在工程中实现.本文以一个3层框架结构为算例,分析了本文算法与前人研究算法的异同.数值结果表明,本文提出的模糊半主动控制具有较高的效率,可以减小需要的控制力,充分使用了MR阻尼器的输入电压可以调节的功能,使MR阻尼器的功能得到了更好的发挥.     

Centrifuge modelling of structures with oil dampers under seismic loading

Experimental research into the seismic performance of buildings with passive oil dampers has so far been restricted to large-scale testing of frames erected on laboratory shaking tables that ignore the foundation soil below. This simplification of the problem falls short of replicating dynamic soil-structure interaction that would occur in the field. This paper presents the first experimental attempt at utilising high gravity dynamic centrifuge testing to replicate the response of a damped building at a reduced model scale. The paper compares the dynamic response of two similar two-degree-of-freedom model sway frames, one control (bare) frame and one frame equipped with miniature oil dampers, both structures founded on shallow raft foundations in dry dense sand. The miniature oil dampers successfully mitigate floor accelerations, drifts, and storey shear forces in the damped frame with minor modification to the frame stiffness. For strong, near resonance motions, global rocking of the undamped frame associated with physical uplifting of the foundation from the soil surface and subsequent yielding of sand beneath has led to floor acceleration levels, which are comparable to those obtained in the damped building fitted with miniature oil dampers. Assessment of the instrumentation installed on the miniature oil dampers reveals a viscoelastic damper behaviour with a dependency on stroke magnitude and on velocity.     

Optimum geometry of tuned liquid column-gas damper for control of offshore jacket platform vibrations under seismic excitation

In this study, the effectiveness of a tuned liquid column-gas damper, TLCGD, on the suppression of seismic-induced vibrations of steel jacket platforms is evaluated. TLCGD is an interesting choice in the case of jacket platforms because it is possible to use the structural elements as the horizontal column of the TLCGD. The objective here is to find the optimum geometric parameters, namely orientation and configuration of vertical columns, length ratio, and area ratio of the TLCGD, considering nonlinear damping of the TLCGD and water-structure interaction between the jacket platform and sea water. The effects of different characteristics of ground motion such as PGA and frequency content on the optimum geometry are also investigated and it is observed that these features have some influence on the optimum area ratio. Finally it is observed that pulse arrangement of ground acceleration is one of the most important parameters affecting the efficiency of a TLCGD. In other words, it is found that the TLCGD’s capability to reduce the RMS responses depends only on the frequency content of the ground acceleration, but its capability to reduce the maximum responses depends on both the frequency content and the pulse arrangement of the ground acceleration.     

Dynamic characteristics and seismic response of adjacent buildings linked by discrete dampers

Coupling adjacent buildings using discrete viscoelastic dampers for control of response to low and moderate seismic events is investigated in this paper. The complex modal superposition method is first used to determine dynamic characteristics, mainly modal damping ratio and modal frequency, of damper-linked linear adjacent buildings for practical use. Random seismic response of linear adjacent buildings linked by dampers is then determined by a combination of the complex modal superposition method and the pseudo-excitation method. This combined method can effectively and accurately determine random seismic response of non-classically damped systems in the frequency domain. Parametric studies are finally performed to identify optimal parameters of viscoelastic dampers for achieving the maximum modal damping ratio or the maximum response reduction of adjacent buildings. It is demonstrated that using discrete viscoelastic dampers of proper parameters to link adjacent buildings can reduce random seismic responses significantly. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Optimum design of single-frequency dynamic dampers

The problem of damping the vibration amplitude of machines and structures has considerable practical importance. This paper discusses the design of optimum vibration absorbers for linear damped systems operating at a certain excitation frequency. The problem is first formulated as a mathematical programming scheme. The systematic design discussed in this paper has significant advantages for those vibratory systems run primarily at a specific frequency.     

Residual deformation characteristics of partially saturated sandy soils subjected to seismic excitation

Multiple series of triaxial tests were carried out on unsaturated sandy soils subjected to irregular seismic excitation. To observe the volume changes of unsaturated soil specimens during undrained loading and subsequent process of drainage, the inner cell was newly installed inside the large triaxial cell. The soil samples tested were recovered from the construction site of a liquefied natural gas storage facility located in Tokyo Bay area. In the tests, the initial conditions of soil specimens were specified with the degrees of saturation S_r of 50, 75 and 100%. The soil specimens were anisotropically consolidated, and subjected to undrained irregular seismic excitation. The time history of irregular seismic excitation was the one obtained from one of the recent earthquakes in Japan. The drainage line was then opened to let the excess pore water drain out of soil specimens. The volume changes and residual shear strains of unsaturated soil specimens thus obtained are presented in the present paper.     

Stochastic analysis of reinforced concrete frames under seismic excitation

The theoretical background and capabilities of a program for stochastic analysis of plane frames of reinforced concrete, under seismic excitation with emphasis on the analysis of stiffness degradation due to severe plastic deformations, are presented. As a constitutive moment-curvature relation an extended version of the model of Roufaiel-Meyer, taking into account the transition from uncracked to cracked sections, has been applied. Further, a different mechanism for the strength deterioration is utilized.Different positive and negative yield moments for unsymmetrical cross-sections may be specified, as well as moments and axial forces due to gravity loads or due to residual stresses from plastic deformations during previous earthquake excitations. The effect of axial forces on the moment-curvature relationship is taken approximately into account through a modified initial yield moment. The P − σ effect of the axial force is considered by the introduction of a global geometrical stiffness matrix. The finite length of plastic length of plastic end zones is taken into account, controlling the plasticity at the end sections and at three internal cross-sections of the member. Incremental bending stiffness between these control sections is determined by linear interpolation. The stochastic earthquake excitation may be specified either as a standardized acceleration time-series, applied at the earth-surface and scaled with stochastically varying maximum acceleration and duration, or as an intensity modulated Gaussian white noise process filtered through a Kanai-Tajimi filter. Based on Monte-Carlo simulation the program calculates the mean values and the standard deviations of storey displacements and bending moments in critical sections, as well as the mean values, standard deviations and correlation coefficients of various maximum softening damage indicators, defined from time-averaged first and second eigen-periods.In order to reduce the calculation time during extensive simulations, a system reduction scheme has been implemented, based on a truncated expansion of external nodal point degrees-of-freedom in the linear eigenmodes of the initial undamaged structure. Further, only beam-elements, with non-linear behaviour are treated as nonlinear elements. These elements are identified adaptively during the simulation process. In order to demonstrate the ability of the program to predict the actual seismic response of reinforced concrete structures, computed results have been successfully compared to the experimentally recorded results of a 10-storey 4-bay reinforced concrete model.     

Modelling methods of historic masonry buildings under seismic excitation

Historic masonry buildings in seismically active regions are severely damaged by earthquakes, since they certainly have not been explicitly designed by the original builders to withstand seismic effects, at least not in a ‘scientific’ way from today’s point of view. The assessment of their seismic safety is an important first step in planning the appropriate interventions for improving their pertinent resistance. This paper presents a procedure for assessing the seismic safety of historic masonry buildings based on measurements of their natural frequencies and numerical simulations. The modelling of the brittle nonlinear behaviour of masonry is carried out on the macro-level. As an example, a recently completed investigation of the seismic behaviour of the Aachen Cathedral is given, this being the first German cultural monument to be included in the UNESCO cultural heritage list in 1978. Its construction goes back to the 9th century a.d. and it is considered as one of the finest examples of religious architecture in Central Europe. The investigation is based on measurements of the natural frequencies at different positions and numerical simulations using a detailed finite element model of the Cathedral.     

An investigation of tuned liquid dampers equipped with damping screens under 2D excitation

This paper reports on the results of a study conducted on tanks partially filled with water, representing tuned liquid dampers (TLD), subjected to both 1D and 2D horizontal excitations. The sloshing response of the water in the tank is characterized by the free surface motion, the resulting base shear force, and evaluation of the energy dissipated by the sloshing water. A 1D non‐linear flow model capable of simulating a TLD equipped with damping screens is employed to model a 2D TLD. Application of this particular model requires the assumption that the response is decoupled and can be treated as the summation of two independent 1D TLDs. Results from the non‐linear flow model are compared with the 2D experimental shake table test results leading to a validation of the decoupled response assumption. This attractive decoupled response property allows square and rectangular tanks to be used as 2D TLDs, which can simultaneously reduce the dynamic response of a structure in two perpendicular modes of vibration. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

地震作用下室内设备半主动控制方法研究

为了有效地减小重要设备在地震荷载下的动力反应，本文采用可控粘滞流体阻尼器进行半主动控制。本文首先建立安装阻尼器的主体结构(设备系统)的动力方程，在此基础上以设备的相对位移和相对速度作为控制变量，提出了相应的半主动控制解法。数值分析表明，安装可控粘滞流体阻尼器后，设备的加速度和设备层的相对位移得到显著的减小。     

Optimal placement of dampers for passive response control

The effectiveness of viscous and viscoelastic dampers for seismic response reduction of structures is quite well known in the earthquake engineering community. This paper deals with the optimal utilization of these dampers in a structure to achieve a desired performance under earthquake‐induced ground excitations. Frequency‐dependent and ‐independent viscous dampers and viscoelastic dampers have been considered as the devices of choice. To determine the optimal size and location of these dampers in the structure, a genetic algorithm is used. The desired performance is defined in terms of several different forms of performance functions. The use of the genetic approach is not limited to any particular form of performance function as long as it can be calculated numerically. For illustration, numerical examples for different building structures are presented showing the distribution and size of different dampers required to achieve a desired level of reduction in the response or a performance index. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Optimal placement of dampers and actuators based on stochastic approach

A general method is developed for optimal application of dampers and actuators by installing them at optimal location on seismic-resistant structures. The study includes development of a statistical criterion, formulation of a general optimization problem and establishment of a solution procedure. Numerical analysis of the seismic response in time-history of controlled structures is used to verify the proposed method for optimal device application and to demonstrate the effectiveness of seismic response control with optimal device location. This study shows that the proposed method for the optimal device application is simple and general, and that the optimally applied dampers and actuators are very efficient for seismic response reduction.