Hybrid Vibration Control of Tall Tubular Structures via Combining Base Isolation and Mass Damper Systems Optimized by Enhanced Special Relativity Search Algorithm

Structural engineers face the challenge of mitigating seismic damage in various structural systems. Conventional methods such as massive moment-resisting frames and multiple braced frames, which rely on heavy structural elements, are limited in addressing this challenge. Therefore, novel techniques based on control systems have been proposed to reduce vibrations during earthquakes, and structural engineers are expected to implement such control devices into structures that would intelligently mitigate seismic vibrations through the life of the structure. This study investigated the performance of a hybrid control scheme that combines two passive control systems: base isolation (BI) and mass damper (MD). This scheme was applied to a 50-story tubular building, and its parameters are optimized using metaheuristic algorithms. A new algorithm, called Enhanced Special Relativity Search (ESRS), was developed by incorporating chaos theory into the Special Relativity Search (SRS) algorithm. The ESRS algorithm was adopted to improve the convergence behavior of the SRS algorithm in both exploration and exploitation phases. The results showed that the ESRS algorithm can effectively tune the parameters of the BI and MD systems and enhance the seismic response of the building. The ESRS algorithm outperformed the SRS algorithm in terms of the objective function value and the maximum displacement reduction for all seven earthquake records. The hybrid control scheme with optimal parameters obtained by the ESRS algorithm achieved a 57% displacement reduction for the Duzce earthquake, demonstrating its superior performance compared with existing control schemes. This study proposed a novel hybrid control scheme that combines two passive control systems for better protecting tall buildings against seismic vibrations.