Active control of three-dimensional structures

In this study a new simple active control algorithm is proposed for controlling the seismic responses of elastic three-dimensional structures. This simple proposed control algorithm (PC) is based on minimizing the time dependent performance index, which can be defined as the total energy input of the structure. To investigate the efficiency of this method, a 3-dimensional tier building is considered. This structure is tested under a real earthquake excitation. Emphasis has been placed on comparison of the proposed algorithm with classical linear optimal control. With reference to the results, the proposed simple control algorithm is very effective in suppressing the uncontrolled structural vibrations. The numerical results also demonstrate that with very little control energy consumption, the reduction in the responses is similar in amount to that obtained with classical linear optimal control. The resulting closed-loop control algorithm doesn’t require the future knowledge of earthquakes, and it also doesn’t require the solution of the nonlinear matrix Riccati equation, which would increase the computer solution time.