Role of remote seismic sensors in feedforward and feedback vibration control of structures

The paper is concerned with a new efficient configuration combining adaptive feedforward control and robust feedback control for suppressing vibrations of a high-rise structure which is subjected to excitations by earthquakes. Compared to a cnp. using only feedback control, the feedforward controller reduce the displacement of the top floor as well as the maximum movement of the absorber's mass, by using efficiently the acceleration rate of the ground motion at remote points from the building via wireless communication means. In order to cope with uncertainties in the modeling of the seismic propagation dynamics from the remote sensors to the building, and seismic effects on the vibration dynamics of structures, an adaptive identification approach is adopted to update the feedforward controller in a real-time manner. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme is examined in numerical simulations and it is clarified that there is an optimal location of the acceleration sensor which can minimize a maximum movement of the mass in the absorber. Copyright (C) 1998 IFAC.