Performance evaluation of decentralized wireless sensing and control in civil structures

摘要

A structural control system consists of sensors, controllers, and actuators integrated in a single network to effectively mitigate building vibration during external excitations. The costs associated with high-capacity actuators and system installation are factors impeding the wide spread adoption of structural control technology. Wireless communication can potentially lower installation costs by eliminating coaxial cables and offer better flexibility and adaptability in the design of a structural control system. This paper introduces a prototype wireless sensing and control unit that can be incorporated in a real-time structural control system. Tests are conducted using a 3-story half-scale laboratory structure instrumented with magnetorheological dampers to validate the feasibility of the wireless structural control system. This paper also addresses the serious issue of time delay and communication range inherent to wireless technologies. Numerical simulations using different decentralized structural control strategies are conducted on a 20-story steel structure controlled by semi-active hydraulic dampers.