Real-time hybrid simulation of the size effect of tuned liquid dampers

The use of tuned liquid dampers (TLDs) is an effective passive control technique to suppress structural vibration under wind and seismic loads. This paper investigates the size effect of TLDs on control efficiency. Given the advantages of real-time hybrid simulation, two issues affecting the control performance of TLD are addressed: (a) the geometric size and (b) the experimental model scale. A series of real-time hybrid simulations is performed, in which TLD devices with various sizes (including full-scale and small-scale) are experimentally modeled as physical substructures; the controlled structures are numerically simulated as numerical substructures. Results demonstrate that TLD performance is size dependent; a shallow liquid in TLD with lower relative liquid depth may be more efficient for both peak and root-mean-square response control. Scaled TLD models that are usually used in conventional shaking table tests generally overestimate the control performance of prototype TLD devices, indicating that full-scale TLD experiments should be pursued to ensure proper performance evaluation.