Structural Control: From Base Isolation to Inter-Storey Isolation and Hybrid Systems

This talk discusses the holistic comparison study on structural inter-storey isolation control strategy versus the traditional base isolation control strategy based on the sliding bearing isolators, as well as their combinations namely hybrid system, for structural vibration control against earthquakes and various dynamic loads. To be specific, the isolation systems utilized friction pendulum sliders, abbreviated as FPS. A 9-storey scaled model structure is constructed in accordance with the Benchmark in structural control, and three different configured FPS with varied slideway radius are designed and manufactured to validate the numerical results. To assess the dynamic property of isolated structure, ground motions with varied intensities are considered. The inter-storey isolation technology is observed to exhibit reliable effectiveness on the entire structure’s vibration control during strong earthquakes than the traditional base isolation system. Furthermore, the location of the inter-storey isolation layer changes the dynamic characteristics of the structure substantially.