Protecting both the essential building contents and the structural system—as well as facilitating and accelerating the post-event functionality of business operations—is a major concern during natural hazards. Floor isolation systems (FIS) with rolling pendulum bearings along with nonlinear fluid viscous dampers (NFVD) have been proposed to mitigate damage and enhance the resiliency of non-structural and structural systems, respectively. These devices are designed to decrease vibrations under dynamic loading conditions. In this poster, we introduce research using tridimensional nonlinear cyber-physical experimental testing (i.e., real-time hybrid simulations) to validate the performance of these response modification devices placed in structural systems under wind and earthquake loading conditions. The effects of soil-structure-foundation and fluid-structure interactions were also accounted for. The novelty of the project is the use of multi-directional large-scale real-time hybrid simulations of complex nonlinear systems under wind and earthquake demands to combine experimental structural modification passive devices with analytical multi-story buildings considering soil-foundation interaction via neural network. Results show that the FIS and NFVD can significantly reduce the demand on non-structural and structural systems of buildings subjected to natural hazards whose response can be also significantly affected by soil-foundation-structure interaction. A product of this research is the data (which is linked in Related Works), which can be used to compare with new studies using the same experimental techniques and structural modification devices or with alternative approaches. Researchers interested in multi-natural hazards resilience and mitigation, state-of-the-art structural experimental techniques, and the use of machine learning as a tool to improve modeling efficiency will benefit from its results. Also, companies dedicated to the commercial development of structural response modification devices, as well as policymakers working or with interest in economic and social resilience.

Building facades typically consist of cladding that is placed on the outside perimeter of the structure. Traditionally, cladding serves purposes of providing architectural envelope and protection to the occupants from the outside elements. The goal of this research project is to rethink cladding systems as multi-functional structural units. Not only would the cladding serve its traditional purposes, but it would also be engaged as an engineered system to protect the structure against multiple hazards, including seismic, wind, and blast loads. Cladding serves both as the point of application of externally applied lateral loads such as wind and blast as well as a contributor of added inertia to seismic or wind-induced vibrations. This project will explore the use of semi-active controlled connections between cladding and the structural framing of a building - these connections will be capable of providing variable damping to mitigate the effects of extreme loading. The results of the project will engage the cladding on a building to enhance a structure's resilience to multiple hazards. The professions of architecture and structural engineering will need to collaborate in design of cladding in the future.The focus of this project is to develop computational simulation of a prototype semi-active damping device, installed between the cladding and structural frame, to the varying loading frequencies and intensities from multiple hazards. The objective of the system is twofold: (1) to engage the cladding as a mass damper to mitigate inter-story drift due to lateral load vibrations; and (2) to utilize the device as an energy dissipator under lateral loads. An innovative semi-active device with decentralized control laws will be developed to satisfy the varying energy dissipation and control objectives associated with each hazard. The research team will perform advanced nonlinear numerical simulations of realistic buildings with semi-active damping devices to assess the various parameters that influence the control laws and performance of the devices. The simulations will be validated through large-scale experiments in the laboratory. The experiments will include real-time hybrid simulations for wind and seismic loading that account for the complete building system and its interactions with the semi-active damping devices and cladding. Air-blast shock tube tests will be conducted to simulate blast loading. Performance-based design procedures will be established to integrate the design of semi-active cladding within a holistic structural design approach.

Building facades typically consist of cladding that is placed on the outside perimeter of the structure. Traditionally, cladding serves purposes of providing architectural envelope and protection to the occupants from the outside elements. The goal of this research project is to rethink cladding systems as multi-functional structural units. Not only would the cladding serve its traditional purposes, but it would also be engaged as an engineered system to protect the structure against multiple hazards, including seismic, wind, and blast loads. Cladding serves both as the point of application of externally applied lateral loads such as wind and blast as well as a contributor of added inertia to seismic or wind-induced vibrations. This project will explore the use of semi-active controlled connections between cladding and the structural framing of a building - these connections will be capable of providing variable damping to mitigate the effects of extreme loading. The results of the project will engage the cladding on a building to enhance a structure's resilience to multiple hazards. The professions of architecture and structural engineering will need to collaborate in design of cladding in the future.The focus of this project is to develop computational simulation of a prototype semi-active damping device, installed between the cladding and structural frame, to the varying loading frequencies and intensities from multiple hazards. The objective of the system is twofold: (1) to engage the cladding as a mass damper to mitigate inter-story drift due to lateral load vibrations; and (2) to utilize the device as an energy dissipator under lateral loads. An innovative semi-active device with decentralized control laws will be developed to satisfy the varying energy dissipation and control objectives associated with each hazard. The research team will perform advanced nonlinear numerical simulations of realistic buildings with semi-active damping devices to assess the various parameters that influence the control laws and performance of the devices. The simulations will be validated through large-scale experiments in the laboratory. The experiments will include real-time hybrid simulations for wind and seismic loading that account for the complete building system and its interactions with the semi-active damping devices and cladding. Air-blast shock tube tests will be conducted to simulate blast loading. Performance-based design procedures will be established to integrate the design of semi-active cladding within a holistic structural design approach.

Building facades typically consist of cladding that is placed on the outside perimeter of the structure. Traditionally, cladding serves purposes of providing architectural envelope and protection to the occupants from the outside elements. The goal of this research project is to rethink cladding systems as multi-functional structural units. Not only would the cladding serve its traditional purposes, but it would also be engaged as an engineered system to protect the structure against multiple hazards, including seismic, wind, and blast loads. Cladding serves both as the point of application of externally applied lateral loads such as wind and blast as well as a contributor of added inertia to seismic or wind-induced vibrations. This project will explore the use of semi-active controlled connections between cladding and the structural framing of a building - these connections will be capable of providing variable damping to mitigate the effects of extreme loading. The results of the project will engage the cladding on a building to enhance a structure's resilience to multiple hazards. The professions of architecture and structural engineering will need to collaborate in design of cladding in the future.The focus of this project is to develop computational simulation of a prototype semi-active damping device, installed between the cladding and structural frame, to the varying loading frequencies and intensities from multiple hazards. The objective of the system is twofold: (1) to engage the cladding as a mass damper to mitigate inter-story drift due to lateral load vibrations; and (2) to utilize the device as an energy dissipator under lateral loads. An innovative semi-active device with decentralized control laws will be developed to satisfy the varying energy dissipation and control objectives associated with each hazard. The research team will perform advanced nonlinear numerical simulations of realistic buildings with semi-active damping devices to assess the various parameters that influence the control laws and performance of the devices. The simulations will be validated through large-scale experiments in the laboratory. The experiments will include real-time hybrid simulations for wind and seismic loading that account for the complete building system and its interactions with the semi-active damping devices and cladding. Air-blast shock tube tests will be conducted to simulate blast loading. Performance-based design procedures will be established to integrate the design of semi-active cladding within a holistic structural design approach.

Participated in a research project that started fabrication of a newer generation of friction damping devices. The development of the device was done with numerical analysis and then fabricated once the numerical analysis results were determined to be satisfactory. Preliminary testing and numerical analysis on the friction device showed that a stiffer design was created and the semi-active controlled system can be implemented soon with electric actuators. In this project, a stiffer design, fabrication of simpler connections, and preliminary testing was accomplished and will be expanded on as the year progresses. Information that follows will highlight the summer process.