A novel nonlinear gas-spring TMD for the seismic vibration control of a MDOF structure

A nonlinear gas-spring tuned mass damper is proposed to mitigate the seismic responses of the multi-degree-offreedom (MDOF) structure, in which the nine-story benchmark model is selected as the controlled object. The nonlinear mechanical properties of the gas-spring are investigated through theoretical analysis and experiments, and the damper's control parameters are designed. The control performance and damping mechanism of the proposed damper attached to the MDOF structure are systematically studied, and its reliability is also explored by parameter sensitivity analysis. The results illustrate that the nonlinear gas-spring TMD can transfer the primary structure's vibration energy from the lower to the higher modes, and consume energy through its own relative movement. The proposed damper has excellent "Reconciling Control Performance", which not only has a comparable control effect as the linear TMD, but also has certain advantages in working stroke. Furthermore, the control parameters of the gas-spring TMD can be determined according to the external excitation amplitude and the gas-spring's initial volume.