On the Performance of Controlled Civil Engineering Structures

This paper discusses the results of a series of simulations conducted to compare the effectiveness of various control systems for earthquake hazard mitigation. A systematic comparison of the performance of different control systems will be useful for the designer in selecting the most effective control system for a structure. Ideal passive, active and semi-active control systems are employed in this study. For determining the control action, an H₂/LQG control algorithm was selected for the active system and a clipped optimal control algorithm was selected for the semi-active system. In both cases the control algorithm was based on acceleration measurements for determination of the control action. To evaluate and compare the controllers, the structural responses of various three-story building are examined. An El Centro earthquake is used as the ground excitation. The mass is held constant while the stiffness of the structure is varied to examine structures with a range of natural frequencies.