Feasibility Test of Adaptive Passive Control System Using MR Fluid Damper with Electromagnetic Induction Part

This paper experimentally investigates the feasibility of an adaptive passive control system, which consists of a magnetorheological (MR) fluid damper and an electromagnetic induction (EMI) part, for suppressing vibration of building structures subjected to ground accelerations. In the adaptive passive control system, the EMI part composed of a permanent magnet and a coil convert the kinetic energy of the relative motion between a building and a damper into the electric energy, which is used for a change in damping characteristics of the MR fluid damper. Since the EMI part can be used as a controller, which determines the command voltage input according to structural responses as well as a power source, the adaptive passive system can be much more compact, convenient, and economic than a conventional active/semiactive system that needs a power supply, a controller, and sensors. To experimentally verify the feasibility of the adaptive passive control system, a shaking table test of a small-scale building model employing the MR fluid damper with the EMI part is conducted. The performance of the adaptive passive control system is compared with that of passively operated MR fluid damper-based semiactive control systems.