Response Control of Full-Scale Irregular Buildings Using Magnetorheological Dampers

Abstract

This paper considers the capabilities of semiactive control systems using magnetorheological dampers when applied to numerical models of full scale asymmetric buildings. Two full scale building models exhibiting coupled lateral and torsional motions are studied. The first case considered is a nine-story building with an asymmetric structural plan. The footprint of this building is rectangular, but the asymmetry is due to the distribution of shear walls. The second case considered is an L-shaped, eight-story building with additional vertical irregularity due to setbacks. Linear, lumped-parameter models of the buildings are employed herein to evaluate the potential of the control system to effectively reduce the responses of the buildings. In each case a device placement scheme based on genetic algorithms is used to place the control devices effectively. The proposed control systems are evaluated by simulating the responses of the models due to the El Centro 1940 and the Kobe 1995 earthquakes. In the second case, simulations are conducted using two-dimensional ground motions. The performance of the proposed semiactive control systems are compared to that of both ideal active control systems and passive control systems.