Modelling of a tuned liquid damper with inclined damping screens

This paper investigates the concept of using inclined slat screens to adjust the damping ratio of tuned liquid dampers (TLDs). A method to calculate the pressure-loss coefficient for inclined screens is introduced, permitting the energy dissipated by the screens to be estimated. An amplitude-dependent mechanical model is developed to calculate the steady-state response of the fluid when the tank is subjected to base excitation. The energy dissipation predicted by this model is compared to results obtained from shake-table experiments. The model and experimental results are in good agreement, and indicate that increasing the screen angle decreases the TLD damping ratio. It is shown that a TLD with adjustable inclined damping screens could maintain a constant damping ratio over a range of excitation amplitudes. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.