Application of some semi-active control algorithms to a smart base-isolated building employing MR dampers

This paper investigates the effectiveness of the MR damper-based control systems for seismic protection of base-isolated building structures employing some semi-active control algorithms.. such as the modified clipped-optimal control, the maximum energy dissipation, the modulated homogeneous friction, and fuzzy logic-based control algorithms, by examining the Phase I smart base-isolated benchmark building problem. The results of the numerical simulations showed that most of the control systems considered herein could be beneficial in reducing seismic responses, especially the base displacement or the isolator deformation, of the base-isolated building. If the base displacement is to be primarily reduced without regard to variation of the floor acceleration, the original clipped-optimal control algorithm could be recommended. On the other hand, if it may be required to reduce the base displacement without increasing the floor acceleration, the modified clipped-optimal control algorithm proposed in this study could be considered as one promising candidate for the linear benchmark base-isolated system. Copyright (c) 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.