Control of wind-induced motion in high-rise buildings with hybrid TM/MR dampers

In recent years, high-rise buildings received a renewed interest as a means by which technical and economic advantages can be achieved, especially in areas of high population density. Taller and taller buildings are being built worldwide. These types of buildings present an asset and typically are built not to fail under wind loadings. The increase in a building's height results in increased flexibility, which can lead to significant vibrations, especially at top floors. Such oscillations can magnify the overall loads and can be annoying to the top floors' occupants. This paper shows that increased stiffness in high-rise buildings may not be a feasible solution and may not be used for the design for comfort and serviceability. High-rise buildings are unique, and a vibration control system for a certain building may not be suitable for another. Even for the same building, its behavior in the two lateral directions can be different. For this reason, the current study addresses the application of hybrid tuned mass and magneto-rheological (TM/MR) dampers that can work for such types of buildings. The proposed control scheme shows its effectiveness in reducing floors? accelerations for both comfort and serviceability concerns. Also, a dissipative analysis carried out shows that the MR dampers are working within the possible range of optimum performance. In addition, the design loads are dramatically reduced, creating more resilient and sustainable buildings. The purpose of this paper is to stimulate, shape, and communicate ideas for emerging control technologies that are essential for solving wind related problems in high-rise buildings, with the objective to build the more resilient and sustainable infrastructure and to optimally retrofit existing structures. © 2015 Techno-Press, Ltd.