• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.695-702
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• 2019

The number of cable-stayed bridges has been increasing worldwide, causing issues in maintaining the structural safety and integrity of bridges. The stay cable, one of the most critical members in cable-stayed bridges, is vulnerable to wind-induced vibrations owing to its inherent low damping capacity. Thus, vibration mitigation of stay cables has been an important issue both in academia and practice. While a semi-active control scheme shows effective vibration reduction compared to a passive control scheme, real-world applications are quite limited because it requires complicated equipment, including for data acquisition, and power supply. This study aims to develop an Arduino-based integrated cable vibration control system implementing a semi-active control algorithm. The integrated control system is built on the low-cost, low-power Arduino platform, embedding a semi-active control algorithm. A MEMS accelerometer is installed in the platform to conduct a state feedback for the semi-active control. The Linear Quadratic Gaussian control is applied to estimate a cable state and obtain a control gain, and the clipped optimal algorithm is implemented to control the damping device. This study selects the magnetorheological damper as a semi-active damping device, controlled by the proposed control system. The developed integrated system is applied to a laboratory size cable with a series of experimental studies for identifying the effect of the system on cable vibration reduction. The semi-active control embedded in the integrated system is compared with free and passive mode cases and is shown to reduce the vibration of stay-cables effectively.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.537-551
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• 2019

In this paper, a method for analyzing the damping performance of stay cables incorporating magnetorheological (MR) dampers in the passive control mode is developed taking into account the cable sag and inclination, the damper coefficient, stiffness and mass, and the stiffness of damper support. Both numerical and asymptotic solutions are obtained from complex modal analysis. With the asymptotic solution, analytical formulas that evaluate the equivalent damping ratio of the sagged cable-damper system in consideration of all the above parameters are derived. The main thrust of the present study is to develop an general design formula and a universal curve for the optimal design of MR dampers for adjustable passive control of sagged cables. Two sag-affecting coefficients are derived to reflect the effects of cable sag on the maximum attainable damping ratio and the optimal damper coefficient. For the cable configurations commonly used in cable-stayed bridges, the sag-affecting coefficients are directly expressed in terms of the sag-extensibility parameter to facilitate the control design. A case study on adjustable passive vibration control of the longest cable (536 m) on Stonecutters Bridge is carried out to demonstrate the influence of the sag for the damper design, and to figure out the necessity of adjustability of damper coefficients for achieving maximum damping ratio for different vibration modes.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.307-318
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• 2019

The frequently excessive vibrations presented in civil structures during seismic events or service conditions may result in users' discomfort, or worst, in structures failure, producing economic and even human casualties. This work contributes in proposing the synthesis of a nonlinear optimal control strategy for semiactive structural control, with the main characteristic that the synthesis considers both the structure model and the semiactive actuator nonlinear dynamics, which produces a nonlinear system that requires a nonlinear controller design. The aim is to reduce the unwanted vibrations in the response of civil structures, by means of intelligent fluid semiactive actuator such as the Magnetorheological Damper (MRD), which is a device with a low level of power consumption. The civil structures for which the proposed control methodology can be applied are those admitting a state-dependent coefficient factorized representation model, such as buildings, bridges, among others. A scaled model of a three storey building is analyzed as a case study, whose dynamical response involves displacement, velocity and acceleration of each one of the storeys, subjected to the North-South component of the September 19th., 2017, Puebla-Morelos (7.1M), Mexico earthquake. The investigation rests on comparing the structural response over time for two different conditions: with no control device installed and with one MRD installed between the first floor and the ground, where a nonlinear optimal signal for the MRD input voltage is determined. Simulation results are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed controller for reducing the building's dynamical response.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.51-59
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• 2019

A hybrid mid-story seismic isolation system with a smart damper has been proposed to mitigate seismic responses of tall buildings. Based on previous research, a hybrid mid-story seismic isolation system can provide effective control performance for reduction of seismic responses of tall buildings. Structural design of the hybrid mid-story seismic isolation system is generally performed after completion of structural design of a building structure. This design concept is called as an iterative design which is a general design process for structures and control devices. In the iterative design process, optimal design solution for the structure and control system is changed at each design stage. To solve this problem, the integrated optimal design method for the hybrid mid-story seismic isolation system and building structure was proposed in this study. An existing building with mid-story isolation system, i.e. Shiodome Sumitomo Building, was selected as an example structure for more realistic study. The hybrid mid-story isolation system in this study was composed of MR (magnetorheological) dampers. The stiffnessess and damping coefficients of the example building, maximum capacity of MR damper, and stiffness of isolation bearing were simultaneously optimized. Multi-objective genetic optimization method was employed for the simultaneous optimization of the example structure and the mid-story seismic isolation system. The optimization results show that the simultaneous optimization method can provide better control performance than the passive mid-story isolation system with reduction of structural materials.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.329-344
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• 2021

The use of structural control devices to minimize structural response to seismic/dynamic excitations has attracted increased attention in recent years. The use of magnetorheological (MR) dampers as a control device have captured the attention of researchers in this field due to its flexibility, adaptability, easy control, and low power requirement compared to other control devices. However, little attention has been paid to the effect of configuration and number of dampers installed in a structure on responses reduction. This study assesses the control of a five-story structure using one and two MR dampers at different stories to determine the optimal damper positions and configurations based on performance indices. This paper also addresses the fail-safe current value to be applied to the MR damper at each floor in the event of feedback or control failure. The model is mathematically simulated in SIMULINK/MATLAB environment. Linear control strategies for current at 0 A, 0.5 A, 1 A, 1.5 A, 2 A, and 2.5 A are implemented for MR dampers, and the response of the structure to these control strategies for different configurations of dampers is compared with the uncontrolled structure. Based on the performance indices, it was concluded that the dampers should be positioned starting from the ground floor, then the 2^nd floor followed by 1^st and rest of the floors sequentially. The failsafe value of current for MR dampers located in lower floors (G+1) should be kept at a higher value compared to dampers at top floors for effective passive control of multi-story structures.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.49-56
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• 2022

Tuned mass damper (TMD) is widely used to reduce dynamic responses of structures subjected to earthquake loads. A smart tuned mass damper (STMD) was proposed to increase control performance of a traditional passive TMD. A lot of research was conducted to investigate the control performance of a STMD based on analytical method. Experimental study of evaluation of control performance of a STMD was not widely conducted to date. Therefore, seismic response reduction capacity of a STMD was experimentally investigated in this study. For this purpose, a STMD was manufactured using an MR (magnetorheological) damper. A simple structure presenting dynamic characteristics of spacial roof structure was made as a test structure. A STMD was made to control vertical responses of the test structure. Two artificial ground motions and a resonance harmonic load were selected as experimental seismic excitations. Shaking table test was conducted to evaluate control performance of a STMD. Control algorithms are one of main factors affect control performance of a STMD. In this study, a groundhook algorithm that is a traditional semi-active control algorithm was selected. And fuzzy logic controller (FLC) was used to control a STMD. The FLC was optimized by multi-objective genetic algorithm. The experimental results presented that the TMD can effectively reduce seismic responses of the example structures subjected to various excitations. It was also experimentally shown that the STMD can more effectively reduce seismic responses of the example structures conpared to the passive TMD.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.259-273
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• 2023

Real-time hybrid simulation (RTHS) is an effective experimental technique for structural dynamic assessment. However, time delay causes displacement de-synchronization at the interface between the numerical and physical substructures, negatively affecting the accuracy and stability of RTHS. To this end, the authors have proposed a model-based adaptive control strategy with a Kalman filter (MAC-KF). In the proposed method, the time delay is mainly mitigated by a parameterized feedforward controller, which is designed using the discrete inverse model of the control plant and adjusted using the KF based on the displacement command and measurement. A feedback controller is employed to improve the robustness of the controller. The objective of this study is to further validate the power of dealing with a nonlinear control plant and to investigate the potential challenges of the proposed method through actual experiments. In particular, the effect of the order of the feedforward controller on tracking performance was numerically investigated using a nonlinear control plant; a series of actual RTHS of a frame structure equipped with a magnetorheological damper was performed using the proposed method. The findings reveal significant improvement in tracking accuracy, demonstrating that the proposed method effectively suppresses the time delay in RTHS. In addition, the parameters of the control plant are timely updated, indicating that it is feasible to estimate the control plant parameter by KF. The order of the feedforward controller has a limited effect on the control performance of the MAC-KF method, and the feedback controller is beneficial to promote the accuracy of RTHS.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.77-83
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• 2020

4WD technology is being actively applied to passenger cars. Therefore, dry multi-plate clutches are used for transfer cases. On the other hand, dry clutches have problems related to large vibrations and poor ride quality. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a multi-plate clutch with an MR fluid. When fastening the multi-plate clutch in the transfer case, the proposed MR clutch was applied to reduce the shock and friction, which is a key component in a four-wheel-drive system. MR multi-plate clutch has a fluid coupling mode and a compression mode. A torque model equation was derived for the optimal design. The analysis was performed using Ansys Maxwell to optimize the design parameters of the multi-plate clutch. Electromagnetic field analysis confirmed the strength of the magnetic field when the number of disks and plates were changed, and the maximum strength of the magnetic field was 0.45 Tesla. By applying this to the torque equation, the spacing between the plates was 2 mm, and the inner and outer diameters of the plates were selected to be 45 mm and 55 mm, respectively. Overall, this paper proposes an optimal design technique to maximize the performance of an MR multi-plate clutch.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.11 no.2 s.54
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• pp.57-68
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• 2007

The mega frame system is becoming popular for the design and construction of skyscrapers because this system exhibits structural efficiency by allowing high rigidity of the structure while minimizing the amount of structural materials to be used. Since the mega frame system is usually adopted for super high-rise buildings, the comfort of occupants may be main concerns in the practical application of this system. For the enhancement of the serviceability of mega frame structures, a semi-active tuned mass damper (STMD) is developed in this study. To this end, a Magnetorheological (MR) damper is employed replacing passive damper as a semi-active damper to improve the control effect of a conventional TMD. Since a conventional finite element model of mega frame structures has significant numbers of DOFs, numerical simulation for investigation of control performances of a STMD is impossible by using the full-order model. Therefore, a reduced-order system using minimal DOFs, which can accurately represent the dynamic behavior of a mega frame structure, is proposed in this study through the matrix condensation technique To improve the efficiency of the matrix condensation technique, multi-level matrix condensation technique is proposed using the structural characteristics of mega frame structures. The efficiency and accuracy of the reduced-order control proposed in this study and the control performance of a STMD were verified using example structures.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.63-71
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• 2002

This paper examines the ASCE first generation benchmark problem for a seismically excited cable-stayed bridge, and proposes a new semi-active control strategy focusing on inclusion of effects of control-structure interaction. This benchmark problem focuses on a cable-stayed bridge in Cope Girardeau, Missouri, USA, for which construction is expected to be completed in 2003. Seismic considerations were strongly considered in the design of this bridge due to the location of the bridge in the New Madrid seismic zone and its critical role as a principal crossing of the Mississippi River. In this paper, magnetorheological(MR) fluid dampers are proposed as the supplemental damping devices, and a clipped-optimal control algorithm is employed. Several types of dynamic models for MR fluid dampers, such as a Bingham model, a Bouc-Wen model, and a modified Bouc-Wen model, are considered, which are obtained from data based on experimental results for full-scale dampers. Because the MR fluid damper is a controllable energy-dissipation device that cannot add mechanical energy to the structural system, the proposed control strategy is fail-safe in that bounded-input, bounded-output stability of the controlled structure is guaranteed. Numerical simulation results show that the performance of the proposed semi-active control strategy using MR fluid dampers is quite effective.