Shaking Table Tests of Suspended Structures Equipped with Viscous Dampers

In this study, a series of shaking table tests of a ten storey concrete suspended structure equipped with viscous dampers were carried out to evaluate the dynamic responses and vibration damping performance of suspended structures. The effects of link types between the primary structure and suspended floors and different seismic excitations on the response of suspended structure models was verified. The responses include the damping ratio, the frequency, maximum relative displacements, accelerations and maximum strains of the suspended structures. Test results showed that the damping ratio and the frequency of suspended structures installed with dampers (called damping suspended structure) are adjusted compared with a conventional suspended structure with rigid-bar links (conventional suspended structure). Maximum relative displacements of the primary structure of the damping suspended structure were distinctly smaller than those of the conventional suspended structure. However, the maximum relative displacement between the primary structure and the suspended floors of the damping suspended structure was significantly larger than that of the conventional structure, indicating that the swing of the suspended floor can help dissipate seismic energy. The peak acceleration and acceleration amplification factors of the damping suspended structure were less than the conventional suspended structure. Moreover, the peak acceleration response of the damping suspended structure was slightly behind the conventional suspended structure. The damping suspended structure certainly had a considerable and stable reduction for strain response, and the maximum strain response was decreased by 42.3%-72.7% for the damping suspended structure compared with the conventional suspended structure.