Experimental Verification of Semiactive Control for Nonlinear Structures Using Magneto-Rheological Fluid Dampers

Investigator:

Richard Christenson
Dept. of Civil & Env. Engineering University of Connecticut

Andrew Emmons
Research Assistant CSM

Brent Bass
Research Assistant UConn NEES Facility Used:

University of Colorado at Boulder Fast Hybrid Test Facility

Outline
Overview Analytical Studies Fast Hybrid Test Setup Preliminary Fast Hybrid Test Results Conclusions & Continued Research

Outline
Overview Analytical Studies Fast Hybrid Test Setup Preliminary Fast Hybrid Test Results Conclusions & Continued Research

Overview
Structural control increases the safety and performance of a traditional design by redistributing and dissipating the energy of the structure Structural control is typically designed for and applied to linear structures, however, civil structures are designed to yield during extreme dynamic events Optimal design of a controlled structure may allow damage to occur during extreme dynamic loading

Overview
Examples of semiactive control devices

variable orifice damper

Control Valve, u

variable friction device

N(u)

controllable tuned liquid damper

controllable fluid damper

Choke

ER/MR Fluid

Control Valve, u

Overview
Semiactive control devices are ideally suited for demanding applications reduce structural responses increasing performance provide controllable and inherently stable means of structural control low power requirements This project will experimentally verify semiactive structural control applied to building exhibiting nonlinear material behavior during severe seismic events

Outline
Overview Analytical Studies Fast Hybrid Test Setup Preliminary Fast Hybrid Test Results Conclusions & Continued Research

Analytical Study
The performance and reliability of a semiactive controlled seismically excited 3-story steel-frame building is examined analytically prior to the experimental studies Results submitted for publication to: 17th A&C Special Issue of the Journal of Structural Engineering

Outline
Overview Analytical Studies Fast Hybrid Test Setup Preliminary Fast Hybrid Test Results Conclusions & Continued Research

Utilizing the NEES FHT system at CU

Full-scale nonlinear dynamic testing in the laboratory is difficult and cost prohibitive Fast Hybrid Testing can link physical full-scale (ratedependant) semiactive dampers with simulated buildings in real-time
200 kN MR Dampers

Seismically Excited Building

Fast Hybrid Test System

3rd 2nd 1st Computer Model (Structure)

Simulated Building Model

Ground

Experimental Setup Ground Motions

Three sets of 20 ground motions developed for the SAC Steel Project System Performance Team (Los Angeles suite)
averaged power spectrum

Experimental Setup Building Model

Building is simulated in both Matlab and OpenSees Although goal is to eventually simulate the 3-Story SAC structure, incremental steps are taken to first verify the fast hybrid test methodology as applied here An in-plane 1-story, 1-bay portal frame with potential plastic hinges at the beam-column connections
(0.9661 Hz fundamental frequency)
W 3x 3 118 W 25 14x 7 W 25 14x 7

Experimental Setup MR Damper

The building models will be controlled for seismic protection using large-scale Magneto-Rheological (MR) fluid dampers 58 length, weight 615 lbs, stroke 23, temp change <80C, max control forces approximately 200 kN (80 kips), <60ms response time Command signal 24 volts, 2 amps (Advanced Motion Controls PWM Servo-Amplifier (30A8DDE) powered by a Twinfly 24-volt power supply (P-150-24) controlled by a 0-5 volt DC signal at a rate of up to 1 kHz

Large-Scale Magnetorheological Fluid Damper

Outline
Overview Analytical Studies Fast Hybrid Test Setup Preliminary Fast Hybrid Test Results Conclusions & Continued Research

Preliminary FHT Results

Challenges: Sliding motion of dampers at ~20 kips FHT algorithm applied to semiactive control devices

Preliminary Results
MR Damper System Identification Hyperbolic-tangent model (Gavin 2001) Dynamics defined by:
k0 c0 . f0 (x0) x0 k1 m0 c1 x1 ^ f(t)

MR Damper Model Comparison

0.5 Hz and 0.5 inch Sinusoidal excitation

Fast Hybrid Testing

MR Damper Model Comparisons

0.5 Hz and 0.5 inch Sinusoidal excitation

Preliminary Results Fast Hybrid Testing

Low level testing at constant voltage

Preliminary Results Fast Hybrid Testing

Low level testing at constant voltage (LA57 input, 0 amps)

displacement (in)

displacement (in) time (sec) time (sec)

Preliminary Results Fast Hybrid Testing

Low level testing at constant voltage (LA57 input, 0 amps)

damper force (kip)

damper force (kip) time (sec) time (sec)

Outline
Overview Analytical Studies Fast Hybrid Test Setup Preliminary Fast Hybrid Test Results Conclusions & Continued Research

Conclusions & Continued Research

Preliminary results show positive results for the Fast Hybrid Testing of Semiactive Dampers To do: Full MR Damper system identification FHT of controlled MR damper Testing of 3-Story 1-Bay nonlinear model (3 dampers) Testing of SAC LA 3-Story SMRF nonlinear model Open the experiment to interested researchers for the testing of various control strategies

Acknowledgements
NSF - Award CMS-0612661 (Pre-NEESR) Lord Corporation NEES FHT staff at CU Boulder NEESit staff