On Control Performance of Multi-d.o.f. Elastic-plastic Structures Under Earthquakes

In this paper, a control algorithm developed for a single-d.o.f. elastic-plastic structural system subjected to a dynamic excitation is presented. The algorithm is based on evaluation of the bounds for plastic displacement occurring during the motion^1–7and it can be regarded as an extension of the optimal norm control^8,9which works for structures with no plastic excursion. Analytical foundations and numerical tests are carried out, providing some general conclusions on the advantage of adopting an ad hoc non-linear control model and on its applicability to elastic-plastic structures.