Analysis and design of high-rise steel buildings with semi-active dampers

The growing need of the high-rise steel buildings in the fast-developing urban areas has led to the introduction of the new and improved structural control systems that focus on the safety, serviceability and comfort of occupants during the dynamic loading conditions. Such structures are easily vulnerable to vibrations and seismic forces caused by the wind and can result in uncontrolled movement, inter-storey drift and structural damage due to their slenderness and flexibility. This paper provides a detailed literature review on semi-active damping system and how this system can be used in the analysis and design of high-rise steel structures. This paper summarizes the results of recent studies on fluid viscous dampers, tuned mass dampers, magnetorheological dampers, and hybrid control systems. The focus is on semi-active tuned mass dampers (SATMDs), which have adaptive performance, as they modify the damping properties on-the-fly with minimal energy use. The review shows that optimization techniques, control algorithms, and soil-structure interaction are important in improving the efficiency of the damper. Comparative studies reveal that semi-active systems are more effective than the traditional passive devices in damping vibration, displacement, and acceleration, and more robust to the current circumstances of diverse loads. In addition, life-cycle cost analysis shows that such systems are economically and structurally beneficial in the long run even though they are more expensive to purchase. On the whole, semi-active dampers integration is a major contribution to the current structural engineering, which adds to the resilience and sustainability of tall buildings design along with high performance.