Experimental and Numerical Study on a New Double-Walled Tuned Liquid Damper

To endure strong ground motions in large earthquakes, structures need to be equipped with tools to damp the huge amounts of energy induced by these excitations. In conventional buildings, seismic energy is often handled by a combination of rigidity-ductility measures and energy dissipation solutions. Since these buildings often have very low damping capability, the amount of energy dissipated within their elastic behavior phase tends to be negligible. Passive dampers are vibration control systems that can serve as valuable tools for controlling strong forces and reducing the probability of structural failure under seismic loads. In Tuned Liquid Dampers (TLDs), energy is dissipated by exploiting the behavior and characteristics of the liquid contained in the damper's tank. When the structure is subjected to external stimuli, the force transferred to the damper starts moving the liquid that lies stationary in the damper's tank, getting dissipated in the process. There are various classes of TLDs with different tank shapes, aspect ratios, and mechanisms of action, each with its properties and features. Another cause of energy dissipation in TLDs, in addition to the viscosity of the liquid, is the base shear force that is applied to the damper's intersection with the main structure with a phase difference relative to the external excitation, because of the difference between hydrostatic forces exerted on the walls at the two ends of the tank. Therefore, the level of liquid interaction with the damper's walls is also a determinant of the damping of external forces and thus the seismic response of the structure. The study investigated a new type of TLD with a double-walled cylindrical tank. To examine the effect of this TLD on the seismic response, a series of models were built with different liquid heights in the tank's inner and outer walls and subjected to several seismic excitations on a shaking table. The results showed that using this type of damper reduced the seismic response of the structures. Also, the reduction in seismic response was found to change significantly with the amount of liquid in the damper.