Design and Development of a Smart Vibration Absorber

Abstract

High-rise buildings have become normalized for urban cities as it minimizes the available land used to house many tenants. The stability of the buildings is often subjected to extraneous loading from the wind and ground. When the excitation frequency matches one of the modes of the building, resonance occurs which causes large deformations. As a result, catastrophic damages and failures can occur when buildings are allowed to be excited for long periods. Damping mechanisms are widely adopted in industrial applications for their ability to minimize unwanted vibrations, increase a system's stability, and shift the natural frequency. A two-story building model was developed, and its natural frequencies were studied using finite element analysis techniques. Afterward, a vibration absorber was created to minimize the structural failure with a tuned mass damper. The effectiveness of the absorber was compared both analytically and computationally. A multi-modal vibration absorber can be employed for high-rise buildings to minimize the damage from natural effects such as earthquakes and strong winds.