• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.517-529
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• 2009

A passive vibration mitigation architecture is proposed to damp transverse vibrations of guyed masts. The scheme is based on a number of pendula attached to the mast and tuned to the vibration modes to be controlled. This scheme differs from the well-known autoparametric pendulum absorber system. The equations of motion of the guyed mast with an arbitrary number of pendula are obtained. The leading bending behaviour of a typical truss mast is described by an equivalent beam model whereas the guys are conveniently modeled as equivalent transverse springs whose stiffness comprises the elastic and geometric stiffness. By assuming a mast with an inertially and elastically isotropic cross-section, a planar model of the guyed mast is investigated. The linearization of the equations of motion of the mast subject to a harmonic distributed force leads to the transfer functions of the structure without the dampers and with the dampers. The transfer functions allow to investigate the mitigation effects of the pendula. By employing one pendulum only, tuned to the frequency of the lowest mode, the effectiveness of the passive vibration potential in reducing the motion and acceleration of the top section of the mast is demonstrated.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.319-341
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• 2014

A family of smart tuned mass dampers (STMDs) with variable frequency and damping properties is analyzed under harmonic excitations and ground motions. Two types of STMDs are studied: one is realized by a semi-active independently variable stiffness (SAIVS) device and the other is realized by a pendulum with an adjustable length. Based on the feedback signal, the angle of the SAIVS device or the length of the pendulum is adjusted by using a servomotor such that the frequency of the STMD matches the dominant excitation frequency in real-time. Closed-form solutions are derived for the two types of STMDs under harmonic excitations and ground motions. Results indicate that a small damping ratio (zero damping is the best theoretically) and an appropriate mass ratio can produce significant reduction when compared to the case with no tuned mass damper. Experiments are conducted to verify the theoretical result of the smart pendulum TMD (SPTMD). Frequency tuning of the SPTMD is implemented through tracking and analyzing the signal of the excitation using a short time Fourier transformation (STFT) based control algorithm. It is found that the theoretical model can predict the structural responses well. Both the SAIVS STMD and the SPTMD can significantly attenuate the structural responses and outperform the conventional passive TMDs.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.203-217
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• 2014

Due to the shift in paradigm from passive control to adaptive control, smart tuned mass dampers (STMDs) have received considerable attention for vibration control in tall buildings and bridges. STMDs are superior to tuned mass dampers (TMDs) in reducing the response of the primary structure. Unlike TMDs, STMDs are capable of accommodating the changes in primary structure properties, due to damage or deterioration, by tuning in real time based on a local feedback. In this paper, a novel adaptive-length pendulum (ALP) damper is developed and experimentally verified. Length of the pendulum is adjusted in real time using a shape memory alloy (SMA) wire actuator. This can be achieved in two ways i) by changing the amount of current in the SMA wire actuator or ii) by changing the effective length of current carrying SMA wire. Using an instantaneous frequency tracking algorithm, the dominant frequency of the structure can be tracked from a local feedback signal, then the length of pendulum is adjusted to match the dominant frequency. Effectiveness of the proposed ALP-STMD mechanism, combined with the STFT frequency tracking control algorithm, is verified experimentally on a prototype two-storey shear frame. It has been observed through experimental studies that the ALP-STMD absorbs most of the input energy associated in the vicinity of tuned frequency of the pendulum damper. The reduction of storey displacements up to 80 % when subjected to forced excitation (harmonic and chirp-signal) and a faster decay rate during free vibration is observed in the experiments.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.15-42
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• 2024

A flexible-base coupled-two-beam (CTB) discrete model with equivalent tuned mass dampers is used to assess the effect of soil-structure interaction (SSI) and different types of lateral resisting systems on the design of passive dynamic absorbers (PDAs) under the action of along-wind and across-wind loads due to vortex shedding. A total of five different PDAs are considered in this study: (1) tuned mass damper (TMD), (2) circular tuned sloshing damper (C-TSD), (3) rectangular tuned sloshing damper (R-TSD), (4) two-way liquid damper (TWLD) and (5) pendulum tuned mass damper (PTMD). By modifying the non-dimensional lateral stiffness ratio, the CTB model can consider lateral deformations varying from those of a flexural cantilever beam to those of a shear cantilever beam. The Monte Carlo simulation method was used to generate along-wind and across-wind loads correlated along the height of a real shear wall-frame building, which has similar fundamental periods of vibration and different modes of lateral deformation in the xz and yz planes, respectively. Ambient vibration tests were conducted on the building to identify its real lateral behavior and thus choose the most suitable parameters for the CTB model. Both alongwind and across-wind responses of the 144-meter-tall building were computed considering four soil types (hard rock, dense soil, stiff soil and soft soil) and a single PDA on its top, that is, 96 time-history analyses were carried out to assess the effect of SSI and lateral resisting system on the PDAs design. Based on the parametric analyses, the response significantly increases as the soil flexibility increases for both type of lateral wind loads, particularly for flexural-type deformations. The results show a great effectiveness of PDAs in controlling across-wind peak displacements and both along-wind and across-wind RMS accelerations, on the contrary, PDAs were ineffective in controlling along-wind peak displacements on all soil types and different kind of lateral deformation. Generally speaking, the maximum possible value of the PDA mass efficiency index increases as the soil flexibility increases, on the contrary, it decreases as the non-dimensional lateral stiffness ratio of the building increases; therefore, there is a significant increase of the vibration control effectiveness of PDAs for lateral flexural-type deformations on soft soils.

• 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.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.425-434
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• 2019

The most effective passive vibration control and seismic resistance options in a reinforced concrete (RC) high-rise building (HRB) are the base isolation and the tuned mass damper (TMD) system. Many options, which may be suitable or not for different soil types, with different types of bearing systems, like rubber isolator, friction pendulum isolator and tension/compression isolator, are investigated to resist the base straining actions under five different earthquakes. TMD resists the seismic response, as a control system, by reducing top displacement or the total movement of the structure. Base isolation and TMDs work under seismic load in a different way, so the combination between base isolation and TMDs will reduce the harmful effect of the earthquakes in an effective and systematic way. In this paper, a comprehensive study of the combination of TMDs with three different base-isolator types for three different soil types and under five different earthquakes is conducted. The seismic response results under five different earthquakes of the studied nine RC HRB models (depicted by the top displacement, base shear force and base bending moment) are compared to show the most suitable hybrid passive vibration control system for three different soil types.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.1-20
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• 2008

The dynamic characteristics of the passive, semi-active, and active tuned-liquidcolumn dampers (or TLCDs) are studied in this paper. The design of the latter two are based on the first one. A water-head difference (or simply named as water head in this paper) of a passive TLCD is pre-set to form the so-called semi-active one in this paper. The pre-set of water head is released at a proper time instant during an earthquake excitation in order to enhance the vibration reduction of a structure. Two propellers are installed along a shaft inside and at the center of a passive TLCD to form an active one. These two propellers are driven by a servo-motor controlled by a computer to provide the control force. The seismic responses of a five-story shear building with a passive, semiactive, and active TLCDs are computed for demonstration and discussion. The responses of this building with a tuned mass damper (or TMD) are also included for comparison. The small-scale shaking-table experiments of a pendulum-like system with a passive or active TLCD to harmonic and seismic excitations are conducted for verification.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.35-48
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• 2014

In designing a 300 meter high skyscraper expected to be the tallest building in Japan, an earthquake-ridden country, we launched on the full-scale performance based design to ensure redundancy and establish new specifications using below new techniques. The following new techniques are applied because the existing techniques/materials are not enough to meet the established design criteria for the large-scale, irregularly-shaped building, and earth-conscious material saving and construction streamlining for reconstructing a station building are also required: ${\bullet}$ High strength materials: Concrete filled steel tube ("CFT") columns made of high-strength concrete and steels; ${\bullet}$ New joint system: Combination of outer diaphragm and aluminium spray jointing; ${\bullet}$ Various dampers including corrugated steel-plate walls, rotational friction dampers, oil dampers, and inverted-pendulum adaptive tuned mass damper (ATMD): Installed as appropriate; and ${\bullet}$ Foundation system: Piled raft foundation, soil cement earth-retaining wall construction, and beer bottle shaped high-strength CFT piles.

• International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.117-121
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• 2021

In 2016, an innovative liquid damper system was installed on the roof of a 35-story modular building in Brooklyn, NY to mitigate wind-induced movement of the structure. The new damper presented several advantages over traditional pendulum, liquid column or sloshing dampers, including lower fabrication and maintenance costs, modularity, and the flexibility to be tuned to a wider range of frequencies. The performance of the system was monitored on a regular basis over the past four years and found adequate, with only minor re-tuning and maintenance operations needed. Based on the experience and data gained through this project, a second iteration of the damper was developed. Called Hummingbird, the improved system further mitigates maintenance and tuning concerns, while allowing significant space savings.