Experimental Comparison of the Performance of Shear Frame with TLD and TLCD Under Harmonic Ground Motion

Today, various systems are used to reduce vibrations in civil engineering structures. Among these systems, tuned liquid dampers are the preferred passive systems due to their ability to be designed in different geometries, their low cost, their ease of installation, and their low maintenance costs. This study examines the effectiveness of tuned liquid dampers (TLD) and tuned liquid column dampers (TLCD) under identical geometric conditions and harmonic ground motion to assess which is more efficient in controlling the behavior of a three-storey steel shear frame model equipped with these systems. A small-scale, three-storey shear frame model placed on a uniaxial shaking table was subjected to harmonic motion with a 5 mm amplitude, 1.4 Hz frequency, and 10 cycles. The chosen frequency aligns with the resonance frequency of the undamped building model’s first mode. Both TLD and TLCD tanks, positioned atop the structure, share a geometry of 30 cm in length and 10 cm in width, with variable liquid heights of 5, 10, 15, and 20 cm. Mounting TLD and TLCD models with four different liquid heights on the undamped model resulted in nine distinct setups. In this designed scenario, the TLDs and TLCDs on the undamped shear frame were compared according to liquid heights at rest. To identify the best-performing system based on liquid height, response displacement–frequency graphs were generated for all models within a frequency range of 0.5–2.5 Hz, and damping ratios were calculated using the half-power bandwidth method. Additionally, harmonic ground motion experiments at the resonance frequency compared both acceleration and displacement values over time for damped and undamped models. Peak acceleration and displacement values on each floor were also analyzed. The results highlight which system proves more effective based on damping ratio, acceleration, and displacement values under equivalent conditions.

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