Application Of Targeted Energy Transfers For Seismic Mitigation Of A Shear Frame

The problem discussed in this paper can be formulated as follows: Design a set of nonlinear energy sinks (NESs) that are locally attached to a primary structure, with the purpose of passively absorbing a significant part of the applied seismic energy, locally confining it and then dissipating it in the smallest possible time. Hence, we wish to demonstrate that it is feasible to passively implement targeted transfer of the applied seismic energy from the primary structure (to be protected) to a set of preferential nonlinear substructures (the set of NESs), where this energy is locally dissipated at a time scale fast enough to be of practical use for seismic mitigation. It is the aim of this work to show that the concept of targeted energy transfer (or nonlinear energy pumping) is feasible and applicable for seismic mitigation. We consider different configurations of MDOF primary linear structures and study seismic-induced vibration control through the use NESs with smooth and non-smooth stiffness nonlinearities. We present experimental validation of the proposed design with a model of a three storey building with multiple attached NESs.