Real-Time Hybrid Test Validation of a MR Damper Controlled Building with Shake Table Tests

Abstract

Real-time hybrid testing (RTHTing) is a relatively new form of experimental testing where only the critical components of the system are physically tested while the rest of the structure is simulated. A RTHT can provide a cost-effective means for testing semiactive controlled civil structures. This paper describes the experimental validation of the RTHT facility at the University of Connecticut through comparison of RTHT results with corresponding shake table responses of a Magneto-Rheological (MR) fluid damper controlled test structure. The two-story structure has an MR damper connected between the ground and first story and is excited by ground accelerations. For the shake table tests the fully physical building model and MR damper are tested on a medium-scale shake table. In the RTHT the MR damper alone will be tested physically while the rest of the test structure and ground excitation is simulated in the RTHT control computer. The performance of the RTHT is validated by comparing the building responses and measured damper force with those from the shake table test in both the time and frequency domains.