Mass-variable TLD systems and their seismic performance

摘要

A conventional tuned liquid damper (TLD) generates a relatively small control force associated with low density of sloshing water. To overcome this main drawback, proposed in this study is a new TLD system composed of water and fine particles in a rectangular tank of sloping bottom. The effectiveness of the proposed mass-variable TLD system was demonstrated with shake table tests. In comparison with a conventional TLD, the mass-variable TLD can more effectively reduce structural responses particularly under large external excitations. The mass-variable TLD can also be effective in the earlier stage of an earthquake event due to the increasing mass nature as the excitation increases. This attribute makes the new TLD particularly attractive under impulsive loads such as near-field ground motions.