Neuro-fuzzy control of structures using magnetorheological dampers

The paper describes a novel approach for reduction of environmentally induced vibration in constructed facilities by way of a neuro-fuzzy technique. The control technique is presented and tested in a numerical study that involves two types of building models. The energy of each building is dissipated through magnetorheological (MR) dampers whose damping properties are continuously updated by a fuzzy controller. This semi-active control scheme relies on development of a correlation between accelerations of the building (controller input) and voltage applied to the MR damper (controller output). This correlation forms the basis for development of an intelligent neuro-fuzzy control strategy. To establish a context for assessing the effectiveness of the semi-active control scheme, responses to earthquake excitation are compared with passive strategies that possess similar authority for control. According to numerical simulation, MR dampers are less effective control mechanisms than passive dampers with respect to a single degree of freedom (DOF) building model. On the other hand, MR dampers are predicted to be superior when used with multiple DOF structures for reduction of lateral acceleration.