Structural Control for Earthquakes and Wind Storms Using Active Structural Members

该项目的主要目标是开发一种混合控制系统，几乎不需要外部能量来控制地震和/或强风风暴期间建筑物和桥梁的动态响应。​这将通过两个同时进行的研究活动来完成。第一个方向是开发一种利用电流变材料来控制构件刚度和阻尼特性的主动结构构件。电流变材料的优点是，在低安培的电场作用下，其机械性能可发生100倍以上的变化，而这些变化可在几毫秒内发生。因此，动态特性几乎可以随指令瞬间发生显著变化的主动构件的发展为结构控制提供了新的机遇。第二个研究任务是建立一种新的结构控制方法，利用主动构件的独特性质。这需要一种新的哲学来发展控制系统算法，基于直接控制可变结构特性。除了上述研究任务外，首席研究员还将承担结构控制下授予的所有项目的技术协调责任NSF倡议91-62。

The main objective of this project is to develop a hybrid control system that requires almost no external energy to control the dynamic response of buildings and bridges during earthquakes and/or strong wind storms. This will be accomplished through two concurrent research activities. The first is directed toward the development of an active structural member which uses electro-rheological materials to control member stiffness and damping properties. The advantage of electro-rheological materials is that their mechanical properties can be changed by over a hundred- fold by a low amperage electrical field and that these changes can occur in milliseconds. Thus the development of active structural members whose dynamic properties can significantly change almost instantaneously on command provides a new opportunity for structural control. The second research task is to establish a new structural control approach which would utilize the unique properties of active structural members. This requires a new philosophy for development of control system algorithms, based on directly controlling variable structural properties. In addition to the research tasks described above the principal investigator will also undertake the technical coordination responsibility involving all projects awarded under the Structural Control Initiative NSF 91-62.