Semi-active Control Design using MR Dampers and Clipped Robust Reliability-based Control

This paper presents a new semi-active control methodology based on a robust reliability-based active control using magnetorheological (MR) dampers for uncertain structural systems. Semi-active control has received a great deal of attention in recent years because it combines the best features of passive and active control. Within the class of semi-active control devices, one of the most promising devices is the MR damper. Because of the inherent nonlinear behavior of MR dampers, one of the most challenging aspects is the development of an appropriate control algorithm. Based on the clipped optimal controller, a proposed control law is referenced to the active control forces calculated using a robust reliability-based active control methodology. The reference active control forces can be calculated using incomplete response measurements at the current and/or previous time steps without requiring state estimation. A six story shear building model is utilized to demonstrate the efficiency and robustness of the proposed semi-active control approach.