Abstract:
A symmetric quantised sliding mode controller (SMC) is presented in this paper for
semiactive control of civil structures using magnetorheological (MR) dampers. The application
of high performance control is needed to suppress the induced vibrations. The SMC is used for
its robustness against system uncertainties and external disturbances while the MR damper is
technologically-efficient for its vibration absorption capability and fail-safe operations as an
ideal semi-active device. A state space for the MR damper embedded building structure is
proposed, allowing for direct control of the magnetisation current. The SMC output is quantised
correspondingly to the hysteretic force-velocity relationship at given values of currents.
Simulation results are included to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed controller in a
building model under quake-like excitations.
