Vibration Control and Smart Structures

 

Summary of Activities

Structural vibration control, as an advanced technology in structural engineering, is to implement energy dissipation devices or control systems into buildings and structures to reduce excessive structural vibration, enhance human comfort, and prevent catastrophic structural failure due to strong winds and earthquakes. Structural vibration control technology can also be used for the retrofitting of historic buildings and structures against strong winds and earthquakes. Systematic investigations have been carried out by the Center on passive, semi-active, hybrid, and active control devices for a variety of buildings and structures. The Center has been also involved in the real application of this advanced technology for construction industry. Technological Services provided include the following:

  • Vibration measurement and assessment of buildings and structures
  • Development of innovative control devices
  • Experimental characterization and analytical modeling of innovative control devices
  • Model or full-scale tests of buildings and structures with control devices
  • Advanced analysis and performance based-design of buildings and structures with control devices
  • Real-time monitoring of buildings and structures with control devices  

Representative Projects

  • Field measurement of traffic-induced environmental vibration of New CCTV Tower in Beijing.
  • Vibration mitigation of adjacent buildings using passive and semi-active dampers
  • Mitigation of wind-rain-induced cable vibration in cable-stayed bridges using adjustable fluid dampers
  • Control of wind-rain-induced cable vibration of Dongting Lake Bridge using magneto-rheological dampers
  • Human comfort enhancement of wind-excited buildings and towers using piezoelectric friction dampers
  • Semi-active tuned liquid column dampers using magnetorheological fluids (MR-TLCDs) for vibration control of tall buildings
  • Intelligent platform for both micro-vibration control  and seismic response control of high tech equipment in a large building subject to ground motion
  • Self-centering damping devices using shape memory alloys (SMA) for earthquake hazard mitigation of buildings and bridges

 

Wind-rain-induced vibration control of stay cables in the Dongting Lake Bridge

Measurement of traffic-induced environmental vibration of New CCTV Tower

 

Adjustable fluid dampers and characterization tests

Seismic response control of tall buildings with podium structures using MR dampers

Intelligent platform for high tech facilities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Testing of Self-centering Friction Damping Brace

Major Facilities

  • MTS 3m x 3m seismic simulation table
  • dSPACE DS1005 control system
  • Servo-loop controlled MTS actuators
  • Electric-magnetic shakers
  • A set of field measurement instrument including displacement transducers, laser transducers, accelerometers, amplifiers, and signal conditioners.

Selected Publications

1.         Xu, Y.L., Samali, B. and Kwok, K.C.S. (1992) “Control of along-wind response of structures by mass and liquid dampers”, Journal of Engineering Mechanics, ASCE, 118(1): 20-39.

2.         Xu, Y.L. and Kwok, K.C.S. (1994) “Semianalytical method for parametric study of tuned mass dampers”, Journal of Structural Engineering, ASCE, 12(3): 747-764.

3.         Yu, Z. and Xu, Y.L. (1998) “Mitigation of three-dimensional vibration of inclined sag cable using discrete oil dampers, Part I: formulation”, Journal of Sound and Vibration, 214(4): 659-673.

4.         Xu, Y.L., Zhan, S, Ko, J.M. and Yu, Z. (1999) “Experimental investigation of vibration mitigation of bridge stay cables using oil dampers”, Journal of Structural Engineering, ASCE, 125(9): 977-986.

5.         Xu, Y.L., Qu, W.L. and Ko, J.M. (2000) “Seismic response control of frame structures using magnetorheological/electrorheological dampers”, Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics, 29: 557-575.

6.         Xu, Y.L., Qu, W.L. and Chen, Z.H. (2001) “Control of wind-excited truss tower using semi-active friction dampers”, Journal of Structural Engineering, ASCE, 127(8): 861-868.

7.         Xu, Y.L. and Zhou, H.J. (2007) “Damping cable vibration for a cable-stayed bridge using adjustable fluid damper”, Journal of Sound and Vibration，306(1-2): 349-360.

8.         Xu, Y.L., Yu, Z.F. and Zhan, S. (2008) “Experimental study of hybrid platform for high-tech equipment protection against earthquake and microvibration,” Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics, 37: 747-767.

9.         Xu, Y.L. and Chen, B. (2008) “Integrated vibration control and health monitoring of building structures using semi-active friction dampers: part I-Methodology”, Engineering Structure，30(7): 1789-1801.

10.     Xu, Y.L. and Ng, C.L. (2008) “Seismic protection of a building complex using variable friction damper: Experimental investigation”, Journal of Engineering Mechanics, ASCE, 134(8): 637-649.

11.     Zhang, Y. and Zhu, S. (2007) “Shape memory alloy-based reusable hysteretic damper for seismic hazard mitigation”, Smart Materials and Structures, 16: 1603-1613

12.     Zhang, Y. and Zhu, S. (2008) “Seismic response control of building structures with superelastic Shape Memory Alloy wire damper”, ASCE Journal of Engineering Mechanics, 134(3): 240-251

13.     Zhu, S. and Zhang, Y. (2007) “Seismic behavior of self-centering braced frame buildings with reusable hysteretic damping brace”, Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics, 36: 1329-1346

14.     Zhu, S. and Zhang, Y. (2007) “A thermomechanical constitutive model for superelastic SMA wire with strain-rate dependency”, Smart Materials and Structures, 16: 1696-1707

15.     Zhu, S. and Zhang, Y. (2008) “Seismic analysis of concentrically braced frame system with self-centering friction damping braces”, ASCE Journal of Structural Engineering, 134(1): 121-131

Contact Information of the contact person

Prof. You-Lin Xu                                                         
Department of Civil & Structural Engineering     
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Kowloon, Hong Kong

Fax:     + 852 - 2334 6389 
Phone:   + 852 - 2766 6050
E-mail:  ceylxu@polyu.edu.hk

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Research Centre for Urban Hazards Mitigation