Optimum tuned tandem mass dampers for suppressing seismic-induced vibrations considering soil-structure interaction

In recent studies, it has been stated that tuned tandem mass dampers (TTMD) will be a practical mechanical solution to reduce the dynamic responses of structures under seismic excitations. However, since TTMD is tuned based on the dominant frequency of the superstructure, ignoring the soil-structure interaction (SSI), it may cause a notable deterioration in the control performance of the control devices. Thus, a methodology for the optimum design of TTMD positioned on the top story of a high-rise building due to near-fault pulse-like ground motions considering potential SSI effects has been investigated in this paper. Firstly, the TTMD is located on the top story of a well-known 40-story shear building, and the equations of motion for soil-structure-TTMD interaction are derived. Based on the sequential quadratic programming (SQP), the tuning parameters of TTMD are then found for different support conditions in the frequency domain. The efficiency of SQP is also compared with two meta-heuristic algorithms (i.e., simulated annealing and pattern search algorithms). The effectiveness of optimum TTMD is tested using 30 near-fault pulse-like ground motions using time-domain analyses. Numerical results showed that the optimum TTMD is more effective in suppressing the maximum displacement and inter-story drift of the building, considering SSI. It is also found that the frequency content of the earthquake, as well as the pulse period of the earthquake and soil type, has a significant effect on the control performance of the TTMD.