City Research Online

Abstract

This paper investigates numerically the potential of ground floor linear tuned inerter damper (TID) to mitigate floor acceleration causing occupants’ discomfort in wind-excited multi-storey buildings due to vortex shedding (VS) effects while generating electric energy. To this aim, TID stiffness and damping properties were optimally designed to minimize root mean square (RMS) floor acceleration at the top occupied floor for wide range of fixed inertance values, while an electromagnetic motor (EM), modelled as an ideal damper, was added to endorse energy harvesting capabilities to the TID. Numerical data pertaining to a 15-storey steel moment resisting frame structure with square floor plan, deficient to occupants’ comfort (OC) code-prescribed criteria under moderate wind action, are furnished. Wind excitation is by a spatially-correlated across-wind force field accounting for VS effects. It is found that optimally designed ground floor TID can readily meet OC criteria without any structural modification (stiffening) which for the case-study building would require 67% increase of steel weight. It is further shown that increasing EM damping coefficient increases energy harvesting potential at the expense of increased floor accelerations. However, increasing TID inertance enhances simultaneously floor acceleration and energy harvesting performance. Hence, it is concluded that it is possible to increase energy generation in ground floor TID-equipped wind-excited multi-storey buildings without necessarily relaxing performance requirements in terms of floor accelerations through judicial changes to EM damping coefficient and/or inertance.

Publication Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Subjects:	T Technology > TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General) T Technology > TH Building construction
Departments:	School of Science & Technology > Engineering

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