Experimental seismic response assessment of tall buildings with large mass damping

Abstract

This paper describes an experimental investigation into the seismic performance of a novel integrated damping system. The proposed damping concept mobilises a portion of the building's own mass to generate damping from its differential motion relative to the lateral load-resisting system. In order to assess the viability and effectiveness of the system under seismic loading, experimental investigations are performed using a 1:300 dynamically scaled physical model of a 300 m tall building. The scaled model is developed using a proposed multivariable genetic algorithm optimisation workflow that enables precise design and fabrication while explicitly incorporating the damping system. Harmonic and seismic tests are then carried out on a number of damped and undamped model variations using several ground motion excitations and multiple intensity levels. The experimental results are compared with finite element simulations of both the full-scale prototype as well as a digital twin of the dynamically scaled model. The experimental results demonstrate the ability of the integrated large mass damping system to significantly reduce the structural response, with average peak reductions in accelerations and displacements of about 40% and minimal differential displacements between the lateral load-resisting system and the floors. Complementary numerical studies are additionally used to evaluate the influence of the mass ratio and other key damping parameters and to illustrate the feasibility of partial-height implementation to maximise efficiency and resilience while significantly reducing costs. The findings highlight the effectiveness and robustness of the damping approach for enhancing seismic resilience in tall buildings, with the potential to deliver substantial reductions in both construction cost and embodied carbon. Summary: The study describes an experimental investigation into the seismic performance of a novel large mass integrated damping system. A scaled physical model of a 300 m tall building is developed using a proposed multi-variable genetic optimization workflow. Harmonic and seismic tests are carried out on damped and undamped physical model variations and compared with numerical simulations. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed damping arrangement in providing substantial reductions in the seismic accelerations and displacements.