Optimal vertical configuration of combined energy dissipation outriggers

Abstract

SummaryThe damped outrigger system emerged as an improvement of the conventional outriggers with the aim to provide supplemental damping and to contribute to the vibration control in super tall buildings where this system is usually applied. In addition to viscous dampers (VDs), buckling‐restrained braces (BRBs) have also been employed as energy dissipating members in outriggers. Nevertheless, the combined use of outriggers with VDs and BRBs in the same structure has not yet been studied. Such combination can contribute to achieve an effective multiperformance design of super tall buildings. This paper presents a study whose main objective was to determine the optimal vertical combination of two types of energy dissipation outriggers to control the seismic responses of a 9‐zone super tall model structure. Outriggers with VDs (OVDs) and outriggers with BRBs (OBRBs) were placed at the different zones of the structure considering all the possible combinations and in configurations of up to four outriggers. The effects of these combinations on the seismic performance of the structure were studied through parametric analysis and optimization methods. This form of the outrigger system is defined in this paper as combined energy dissipation outrigger system. The results indicate that when two energy dissipation outriggers are used, the combination of OBRB plus OVD shows superior seismic performance compared with other double‐outrigger configurations. In addition, the results show that the locations of OVDs and OBRBs play an important role in the structure behavior; it was found that it is more beneficial to place OBRBs above OVDs.