Journal of Natural Disaster Science

HYBRID SIMULATION OF STRUCTURAL CONTROL WITH A VARIABLE DAMPER

Tadanobu SATO
Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011, Japan
Kiril HADJIYSKI
Central Laboratory for Seismic Mechanics & Earthquake Engineering, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 'Acad.G.Bonchev' Str., block 3, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
Satoru TANAKA and Kenzo TOKI
School of Civil Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Yoshida, Sakyou-ku, Japan

(Received 21 October, 1997 and in revised form 23 June, 1998)

Abstract

A Hybrid Simulation System for Structural Control Experimentation is used to investigate structural control efficiency with a newly developed variable damper without external accumulator. The system is equipped with high speed DSP units that allow wide flexibility for the investigation of different types of structural models and control devices. The control algorithm that generates the damper force is derived from a mechanical model of the observed damper characteristics. The valve opening ratio is determined directly from the measured piston velocity and the target damping velocity, without a feedback mechanism. An optimal closed-open loop control law derived by minimizing the sum of the quadratic time-dependent performance index and the seismic energy input to the structural system provides a feasible control algorithm. Its effectiveness was confirmed by numerical experiments for a base-isolated 5DOF structural model under seismic excitation.

Key words

active control, variable damper, hybrid simulation system, digital signal processor, base isolation, hybrid experiment