Automated Wireless Structural Health Monitoring and Control Using Tuned Liquid Column Dampers

Abstract

Current trends in structural design and retrofit frequently dictate artificially modifying the structural behavior in an attempt to target unfavorable loading scenarios expected to compromise the fulfilment of stability and serviceability criteria. Particularly in structures where operational requirements result in adopting unconventional structural systems, usually falling outside the scope of codified regulations and guidelines, adapting the structural behavior by means of structural subsystems has been widespread. Referred to as "structural control", enhancing the ability of structures to adapt to unfavorable loading conditions encompasses attaching structural subsystems, such as dampers, to the main structure. Moreover, the increasing application of structural health monitoring (SHM) for structural assessment and maintenance has fueled research in coupling SHM with structural control, thus paving the way for developing structural systems capable of autonomously adapting structural properties. In this context, this paper describes a preliminary approach to automated structural health monitoring and control by coupling a wireless SHM system with a tuned liquid column damper (TLCD). The wireless SHM system is equipped with embedded algorithms managing SHM tasks, such as data sampling and data processing, and with actuators able to modify the properties of the TLCD based on any user-defined control algorithm. The proposed approach serves as a first step towards fully automated structural health monitoring and control and is validated through laboratory tests on a four-story shear frame structure equipped with a wireless SHM system and a TLCD on the top story.