Advancing Innovative Structural Control Systems

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In 2018, natural catastrophes resulted in over 10,400 fatalities and in losses totaling nearly US$160 billion. Earthquake and extreme wind related events accounted for over half of all fatalities, and over US$100 billion in losses. Modern structural control systems can significantly improve the performance of structures subjected to wind and seismic events. As the field of structural control continues to develop, the implementation of these devices in structures is becoming more accepted. To further increase the use of these systems they must be well understood, straightforward to design, and cost-effective. The proposed research focuses on reducing infrastructure vulnerability through the development and evaluation of structural control devices that will significantly improve structural performance under seismic (seismic isolator) or wind (dynamic vibration absorber) loads. The goals of this research program are to: 1) quantify the seismic performance of bridges located in different climatic regions within Canada equipped with FREI; 2) characterize the behaviour of TLD having uniquely shaped tank geometries; and 3) develop an advanced numerical model using smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) to simulate the nonlinear response of TLD and evaluate the performance of tall buildings equipped with TLD under both service level wind loads and extreme loading events. Findings from the proposed research will be used to equip current and next generation engineers with novel devices and advanced design tools, including building code provisions and guidelines, enabling higher levels of building performance to be achieved. As an integral component of Canada's C$142 billion construction industry that employs 1.4 million people, our infrastructure is in need of economical performance-based technical solutions, including cost-effective structural control devices. By advancing structural control devices for seismic and wind applications, higher levels of building performance, specified by stakeholders and expected by building occupants, will be achieved. This will ultimately improve Canada's infrastructure, providing Canadian communities with economical, safe and resilient infrastructure.