Semiactive building base isolation

Juan C. Ramallo, Erik A. Johnson, B. F. Spencer, M. K. Sain

Research output: Contribution to journalConference articlepeer-review

Abstract

Passive base isolation systems are one of the most successful and widely implemented technologies for seismic hazard mitigation. However, recent changes to the building codes have made the design requirements such that some of the potential gains of such systems may not be realized. This paper investigates the effects of using controllable semi-active dampers, such as magnetorheological fluid dampers, in a base isolation system. A two degree-of-freedom model of a base isolated building is used, with linear viscous, active, and semiactive supplemental damping devices in the isolation layer. Using an H2/LQG design, semiactive and active devices are able to achieve a notable decrease in base drifts, compared to the optimal linear passive designs, with no accompanying increase in accelerations imparted into the superstructure.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)515-519
Number of pages5
JournalProceedings of the American Control Conference
Volume1
StatePublished - 1999
Externally publishedYes
EventProceedings of the 1999 American Control Conference (99ACC) - San Diego, CA, USA
Duration: Jun 2 1999Jun 4 1999

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Semiactive building base isolation'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this