• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.21-33
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• 2014

The tied braced frame (TBF) system was developed to achieve uniform seismic inelastic demand along the height of multi-storey eccentrically braced steel frames. A modular tied braced frame (M-TBF) configuration has been recently proposed to reach the same objective while reducing the large axial force demand imposed on the vertical tie members connecting the link beams together in TBFs. M-TBFs may however experience variations in storey drifts at levels where the ties have been removed to form the modules. In this paper, the possibility of reducing the discontinuity in displacement response of a 16-storey M-TBF structure by introducing energy dissipating (ED) devices between the modules is examined. Two M-TBF configurations are investigated: an M-TBF with two 8-storey modules and an M-TBF with four 4-storey modules. Three types of ED devices are studied: friction dampers (FD), buckling restrained bracing (BRB) members and self-centering energy dissipative (SCED) members. The ED devices were sized such that no additional force demand was imposed on the discontinuous tie members. Nonlinear response history analysis showed that all three ED systems can be used to reduce discontinuities in storey drifts of M-TBFs. The BRB members experienced the smallest peak deformations whereas minimum residual deformations were obtained with the SCED devices.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.937-960
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• 2015

Tuned mass dampers (TMDs) have been a prevalent vibration control device for suppressing excessive vibration because of environmental loadings in contemporary tall buildings since the mid-1970s. A TMD must be tuned to the natural frequency of the primary structure to be effective. In practice, a TMD may be assembled in situ, simultaneously with the building construction. In such a situation, the respective dynamic properties of the TMD device and building cannot be identified to determine the tuning status of the TMD. For this purpose, a methodology was developed to obtain the parameters of the TMD and primary building on the basis of the eigenparameters of any two complex modes of the combined building-TMD system. The theory was derived in state-space to characterize the nonclassical damping feature of the system, and combined with a system identification technique to obtain the system eigenparameters using the acceleration measurements. The proposed procedure was first demonstrated using a numerical verification and then applied to real, experimental data of a large-scale building-TMD system. The results showed that the procedure is capable of identifying the respective parameters of the TMD and primary structure and is applicable in real implementations by using only the acceleration response measurements of the TMD and its located floor.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.963-995
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• 2015

The effectiveness of the various control algorithms for semi-active structural control systems proposed in the literature is highly questionable when dealing with earthquake actions, which never reach a steady state. From this perspective, the paper summarizes the results of an experimental activity aimed to compare the effectiveness of four different semi-active control algorithms on a structural mock up representative of a class of structural systems particularly prone to seismic actions. The controlled structure is a near full scale 2-story steel frame, equipped with two semi-active bracing systems including two magnetorheological dampers designed and manufactured in Europe. A set of earthquake records has been applied at the base of the structure, by utilizing a shaking table facility. Experimental results are compared in terms of displacements, absolute accelerations and energy dissipation capability. A further analysis on the percentage incidence of undesired and/or unpredictable operations corresponding to each algorithm gives an insight on some factors affecting the reliability and, in turn, the real effectiveness of semi-active structural control systems.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.595-617
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• 2013

Semi-active control equipments are used to effectually enhance the seismic behavior of structures. Magneto-rheological (MR) dampers are semi-active devices that can be utilized to control the response of structures during seismic loads and have received voracious attention for response suppression. They supply the adaptability of active devices and stability and reliability of passive devices. This paper presents an optimal fuzzy logic control scheme for vibration mitigation of buildings using magneto-rheological dampers subjected to near-fault ground motions. Near-fault features including a directivity pulse in the fault-normal direction and a fling step in the fault-parallel direction are considered in the requisite ground motion records. The membership functions and fuzzy rules of fuzzy controller were optimized by genetic algorithm (GA). Numerical study is performed to analyze the influences of near-fault ground motions on a building that is equipped with MR dampers. Considering the uncontrolled system response as the base line, the proposed method is scrutinized by analogy with that of a conventional maximum dissipation energy (MED) controller to accentuate the effectiveness of the fuzzy logic algorithm. Results reveal that the fuzzy logic controllers can efficiently improve the structural responses and MR dampers are quite promising for reducing seismic responses during near-fault earthquakes.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.60 no.1
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• pp.131-148
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• 2016

Tuned Liquid Dampers (TLDs) provide low damping when it comes to deep water condition, and that not all water depth is mobilized in energy dissipation. This research focussed on a method to improve the efficiency of TLDs with deep water condition. Several bottom-mounted baffles were installed inside a TLD and the dynamic characteristics of modified TLDs together with their effect on the vibration control of a SDOF structure were studied experimentally. A series of free vibration and harmonic forced vibration tests were carried out. The controlling parameter in the conducted tests was the Vertical Blocking Ratio (VBR) of baffles. Results indicated that increase in VBR decreases the natural frequency of TLD and increases its damping ratio. It was found that the VBR range of 10% to 30% reduced response of the structure significantly. The modified TLD with the VBR of 30% showed the best performance when reduction in structural responses under harmonic excitations were compared.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.113-137
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• 2012

Frame structures with viscoelastic (VE) dampers mounted on them are considered in this paper. It is the aim of this paper to compare the dynamic characteristics of frame structures with VE dampers when the dampers are modelled by means of different models. The classical rheological models, the model with the fractional order derivative, and the complex modulus model are used. A relatively large structure with VE dampers is considered in order to make the results of comparison more representative. The formulae for dissipation energy are derived. The finite element method is used to derive the equations of motion of the structure with dampers and such equations are written in terms of both physical and state-space variables. The solution to motion equations in the frequency domain is given and the dynamic properties of the structure with VE dampers are determined as a solution to the appropriately defined eigenvalue problem. Several conclusions concerning the applicability of a family of models of VE dampers are formulated on the basis of results of an extensive numerical analysis.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.245-255
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• 2012

The damping effect of a Concrete-filled Rectangular Steel Tube (CRST) frame structure is studied in this paper. Viscous dampers are employed to insure the function of the building especially subjected to earthquakes, for some of the main vertical elements of the building are not continuous. The shaking table test of a 1:15 scale model was conducted under different earthquake excitations to recognize the seismic behavior of this building. And the vibration damping effect was also investigated by the shaking table test and the simulation analysis. The nonlinear time-history analysis of the shaking table test model was carried out by the finite element analysis program CANNY. The simulation model was constructed in accordance with the tested one and was analyzed under the same loading condition and the simulation effect was then validated by the tested results. Further more, the simulation analysis of the prototype structure was carried out by the same procedure. Both the simulated and tested results indicate that there are no obvious weak stories on the damping equipped structure, and the dampers can provide the probability of an irregular CRST frame structure to meet the requirements of the design code on energy dissipation and deformation limitation.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.567-576
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• 2018

This manuscript introduces a new damping device which is composed of a water tank and a pendulum. The new damping device can be tuned to multiple frequencies. In addition, it has a higher energy dissipation capacity when compared with the conventional Tuned Liquid Dampers (TLDs). In order to evaluate the efficiency of this new damping device a series of free vibration and forced vibration tests were conducted on a scaled down single-story one-bay steel frame. Two different configurations were studied for the mass of the pendulum that included a completely and a partially submerged mass. It was observed that the completely submerged configuration led to 44% higher damping ratio when compared with the conventional TLD. In addition, the completely submerged configuration reduced the peak displacement response of the structure 1.6 times more than the conventional TLD. The peak acceleration response of the structure equipped with the new damping device was reduced twice more than the conventional TLD. It was also found that, when the excitation frequency is lower than the resonance frequency, the conventional TLD performs better than the partially submerged configuration of the new damping device.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.25-35
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• 2009

This paper introduces the performance of a newly developed base isolation system made from the combination of a polyurethane disk - attached pot bearing and C-shape steel dampers. Ultimate compressive load tests, ultimate rotation tests, dynamic tests, and dynamic load repeat tests have been completed to determine dynamic characteristics and to verify performance characteristics. The experimental results are compared with the analytic results. It is determined that all requirements for bridge bearing in the specifications are satisfied, and that adequate energy dissipation has occurred. The EDC and effective stiffness estimated by tests are similar to the theoretical values.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.565-579
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• 2022

This study investigated the yielding capacity and performance of seismic dampers constructed with steel ring plates using numerical and analytical approaches. This study aims to provide an analytical relationship for estimating the yielding capacity and initial stiffness of steel ring dampers. Using plastic analysis and considering the mechanism of plastic hinge formation, a relation has been obtained for estimating the yielding capacity of steel ring dampers. Extensive parametric studies have been carried out using a nonlinear finite element method to examine the accuracy of the obtained analytical relationships. The parametric studies include investigating the influence of the length, thickness, and diameter of the ring of steel ring dampers. To this end, comprehensive verification studies are performed by comparing the numerical predictions with several reported experimental results to demonstrate the numerical method's reliability and accuracy. Comparison is made between the hysteresis curves, and failure modes predicted numerically or obtained/observed experimentally. Good agreement is observed between the numerical simulations and the analytical predictions for the yielding force and initial stiffness. The difference between the numerical models' ultimate tensile and compressive capacities was observed that average of about 22%, which stems from the performance of the ring-dampers in the tensile and compression zones. The results show that the steel ring-dampers are exhibited high energy dissipation capacity and ductility. The ductility parameters for steel ring-damper between values were 7.5 to 4.1.