Optimal analysis for parameters of a viscoelastic earthquake-isolation device based on genetic algorithm and energy equation

Parametric optimization of a viscoelastic damper in earthquake isolation and mitigation of structures was investigated here. Based on the energy equation, an objective function for optimization was set up, and a parametric optimization model for a viscoelastic damper was developed. Then, the genetic algorithm programmed with MATLAB was used to complete the parametric optimization of a cylindrical reticulated shell modeled with ANSYS, and the sensitivity of this method to the earthquake waves was also studied. The parameters of the viscoelastic damper were obtained with genetic algorithm based on energy equation. The numerical results showed that the displacement and stress of the structure are controlled effectively; additionally, the different earthquake waves have little influence on the results obtained with the proposed method.