Fundamental Study of Active Mass Damper Using Multistage Rubber Bearing and Hydraulic Actuator for Vibration Control of Tall Buildings. 1st Report. Study of Control Law for the Active Mass Damper.

Abstract

An active mass damper with a new structure was developed to implement active vibration control for tall buildings, in which a moving mass is supported by multistage rubber bearings. Because of this structure, the damper can be installed on the roof of the building. This means that no indoor space is needed for the damper. Furthermore, the structure can reduce the operational friction and distortion in the mass acceleration as well. For control of the damper, a variable gain control law was proposed, by which the damper can perform against not only winds and weak earthquakes but also strong earthquakes, while it keeps its displacement within a stroke limit of the hydraulic actuators. Excitation tests were carried out for an experimental model of the damper in which a 5300 kg mass was supported by 4 multistage rubber bearings and controlled by 2 hydraulic actuators in a horizontal direction. Through the tests and simulation studies, it was confirmed that the structure and the control law were effective for active vibration control of tall buildings.