Vibration attenuation in high-rise buildings to achieve system-level performance under multiple hazards

Rapid population growth and economic development in urban areas have greatly increased the potential of exposure to multiple hazards that may cause damage and business interruption in civil engineering structures, such as high-rise buildings. To alleviate these issues, fluid viscous dampers are employed under both wind and earthquake loads. The optimum number and location of dampers are selected based on modal drifts, and targeted values of response. Displacement, acceleration, inter-story drift ratio, shear force, and base bending moment are considered along with other concise set of system-level performance criteria that are easily understood by decision-makers and/or stakeholders of diverse technical backgrounds. Placement of viscous dampers with a lever mechanism shows that higher reductions in responses can be achieved with smaller damping devices. Stiffness uncertainty and damper failure are considered to check the robustness of the mitigation system. The study shows that viscous dampers are a viable solution for vibration attenuation in high-rise buildings susceptible to wind and earthquake loads, which permits the minimization of structural and nonstructural damage by counteracting multi-hazard forces in real-time. Viscous dampers show their potential to enhanced dynamic performance of buildings under multiple hazards and can directly promote community resiliency.