Semi-active control of floor isolation system using MR-damper

This paper presents the performance evaluation of a semi-active controlled floor isolation system for earthquake reduction. The floor isolation system consists of a rolling pendulum system and a semi-active controlled MR damper. The modified Bouc-Wen model is used to represent the behavior of the MR damper. A serious of performance test of the MR damper is made and been used for system identification. Two contrasting control methods including LQR with continuous-optimal control and Fuzzy Logic control are experimentally investigated as potential algorithms and comparisons are made from the results. Unlike the clipped-optimal control, LQR with continuous-optimal control can output the continuous command voltage to control the MR damper, and get smoother control effect. A three-story steel structure with the floor isolation system on the 2nd floor is tested on the shake table. Scaled historical near- and far-field seismic records are employed to examine controller performance with respect to frequency content and PGA level. Experimental results show that both control algorithms can suppress the acceleration of the isolated floor during small and large PGA levels, and alleviate both displacement and acceleration simultaneously in larger, near-field events. Both control algorithms are adaptive and robust to various intensity of excitation. This investigation demonstrates the feasibility and capabilities of a smart semi-active controlled floor-isolation system.