Abstract
In this paper, the use of a tuned liquid column damper (TLCD) as a cost-effective means to control the seismic response of a base-isolated structure is studied. A straightforward direct approach for the optimal design of such a device is proposed, considering a white noise model of the base excitation. On this base, a direct optimization procedure of the TLCD design parameters is performed and optimal design charts are presented as a ready-to-use practical design tool. Comparison with the optimal parameters obtained considering a classical iterative statistical linearization technique proves the reliability of the proposed approach. The performance of the base-isolated TLCD-controlled structure is examined and compared with that of the simple base-isolated one (without TLCD), using a set of 44 recorded ground motions as base excitation. Theoretical and numerical results show that the TLCD is rather effective in reducing the response of base-isolated structures under strong earthquakes. Therefore, considering its advantageous characteristics and its overall beneficial effects, TLCDs can be considered as practical and appealing means to control the seismic response of base-isolated structures.
Highlights
Seismic base-isolation is one of the most effective and widely used means for protection of relatively stiff structures against earthquake excitation
In order to prove the reliability of the proposed approach, comparison with the statistical linearization technique (SLT) is provided, showing a satisfactory agreement between the two approaches, even when the aforementioned assumptions are removed
It should be emphasized that, while the iterative SLT procedure takes into account the main structure damping ratio ζ1, being developed on the complete equivalent linear system described by Eq (7), the proposed direct approach is developed on the reduced system in Eq (11), which is independent of ζ1
Summary
Seismic base-isolation is one of the most effective and widely used means for protection of relatively stiff structures against earthquake excitation. For instance, consists in providing supplemental damping to the isolation layer, which, may lead to an increase in the interstory drifts and accelerations of the main structure [17] In this context, some researchers began to consider using passive vibration control devices, such as the well-known tuned mass damper (TMD), to improve the performance of base-isolation systems. In all the previous investigations, only the case of TMD devices connected to the base-isolated structures has been analyzed In this regard, there are very few studies in which other passive control devices have been considered for reducing the displacement demand of base-isolated structures. It is shown that the TLCD device leads to a 16% reduction in the median of the relative peak base-isolation subsystem displacement, compared to the case of the base-isolated structure without TLCD
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