A genetic algorithm-based two-phase design for optimal placement of semi-active dampers for nonlinear benchmark structure

摘要

Optimal placement of dampers for structural vibration control is both important and challenging. Though this issue is adequately addressed for linear structures in the literature, optimal placement of dampers for nonlinear structures is rarely studied. In this paper, a two-phase optimization process using genetic algorithms is proposed for the placement of semi-active MR dampers for a nonlinear benchmark structure. In the first phase, an optimization algorithm is used to obtain the active control force that is most suitable for semi-active implementation. In the second phase, the placement of semi-active MR dampers is optimized to mimic the optimal active control force obtained in the first phase. Simulation results show that the lower and upper stories will be the first choice for the placement of the dampers, and also the optimal number of the MR dampers for a structure is suggested in this paper.