Structural control systems are considered an effective alternative for reducing vibrations in civil structures and are classified according to their energy supply requirement: passive, semi-active, active and hybrid. Commonly used structural control systems in buildings are passive friction dampers, which add energy dissipation through damping mechanisms induced by sliding friction between their surfaces. Semi-Active Variable Friction Dampers (SAVFD) allow the optimum efficiency range of friction dampers to be enhanced by controlling the clamping force in real time. This paper describes the development and performance evaluation of a low-cost SAVFD for the reduction of vibrations of structures subject to earthquakes. The SAVFD and a benchmark structural control test structure were experimentally characterized and analytical models were developed and updated based on the dynamic characterization. Decentralized control algorithms were implemented and tested on a shaking table. Relative displacements and accelerations of the structure controlled with the SAVFD were 80% less than those of the uncontrolled structure
Real-time hybrid simulation (RTHS) is a modern cyber-physical technique used for the experimental evaluation of complex systems, that treats the system components with predictable behavior as a numerical substructure and the components that are difficult to model as an experimental substructure. Therefore it is an attractive method for evaluation of the response of civil structures under earthquake, wind and anthropic loads. In this paper, the response of three-story shear frame controlled by a tuned liquid column damper (TLCD) and subject to base excitation is considered. Both passive and semi-active control strategies were implemented and are compared. While the passive TLCD achieved a reduction of 50% in the acceleration response of the main structure in comparison with the structure without control, the semi-active TLCD achieved a reduction of 70%, and was robust to variations in the dynamic properties of the main structure. In addition, a RTHS was implemented with the main structure modeled as a linear, time-invariant (LTI) system through a state space representation and the TLCD, with both control strategies, was evaluated on a shake table that reproduced the displacement of the virtual structure. Current assessment measures for RTHS were used to quantify the performance with parameters such as generalized amplitude, equivalent time delay between the target and measured displacement of the shake table, and energy error using the measured force, and prove that the RTHS described in this paper is an accurate method for the experimental evaluation of structural control systems.
A country’s economic development depends heavily on transportation networks and hence, as a vital aspect, bridge structures must function safely at all times. Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) and Damage Prognosis (DP) of bridges should be a priority in order to prevent deterioration, avoid collapse and ensure user’s safety. One objective of SHM for civil structures is the behavior assessment due to ambient, operational and seismic excitations, for which acceptable ranges are established for the variation of dynamic properties. Through Operational Modal Analysis (OMA) it is possible to estimate operational frequencies of a bridge and provide a measure of its current dynamic behavior. These frequencies can then be used for future comparisons to revise if the structure has been damaged or has experienced changes due to environmental conditions. In this paper, vertical and horizontal operational frequencies of more than 300 vehicular and pedestrian bridges of the transportation network of Santiago de Cali, Colombia, were estimated using ambient vibration tests. Data were obtained using smartphones and processed using frequency domain analyses. Correlations of these frequencies with the structural characteristics of the bridges are presented. The results of this study represent the current state of each bridge and provide a baseline for future evaluations of changes due to environmental conditions or damage.
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