STRUCTURAL CONTROL RESEARCH

U.S. Panel on Structural Control Research

Prepared by

G.W. Housner and S.F. Masri

THE NEW FIELD OF RESEARCH ON STRUCTURAL CONTROL

Elements of the infrastructure such as buildings, bridges, TV towers, tall chimneys, pipelines, communication centers, computer facilities, sensitive manufacturing facilities, hospitals, emergency command centers, etc., are subjected to forces of nature such as earthquake and wind, and also to man-made actions. In addition, there are structures where the actions are small and do not threaten the survivability but do produce unacceptable motions; for example, wind-induced swaying of high-rise buildings, or micro-tremor induced motion of precision manufacturing facilities.

The usual procedure is to design structures and facilities to have adequate strength to resist the actions, even though this may be costly. An alternate approach that has recently attracted attention is to modify the structure so as to reduce the motions and stresses. Some buildings in seismic regions of the U.S. have been supported on flexible foundation elements (base isolation) that will reduce the seismic forces transmitted to the structure; on the east coast some high-rise buildings that had objectionable sway during breezy weather are controlled by installing dynamic vibration absorbers on the top floor. It is also possible to control motions by providing counteracting forces. Structural control research studies the potential and practicality of various active/passive methods of control, including effectiveness, cost, and reliability.

OVERVIEW

The U.S. Panel on Structural Control Research was established in 1990 under the auspices of NSF with the objectives of: (1) facilitating the transmission of information concerning state-of-the-art developments in the field; (2) identifying and prioritizing needed research and development; (3) developing preliminary plans for analytical and experimental advancement in the field; (4) developing plans for the performance of full-scale testing and demonstration; and (5) collaborating with international organizations.

The Panel is managed by California Universities for Research in Earthquake Engineering (CUREE), with George W. Housner and Sami F. Masri, Co-Principal Investigators.

The Panel is composed of seven members. An Executive Committee oversees the Panel activities. The objectives of the Panel are being accomplished through the efforts of seven Working Groups: Analytical Methods; Experimental Methods; Building Applications; Non-Building Applications; Interdisciplinary Approaches; International Coordination; and Information Dissemination.

Major Accomplishments of the U.S. Panel include:

  1. Convening of the U.S. National Workshop on Structural Control Research
  2. Establishment and Activities of Panel Working Groups
  3. Collaboration with Japan Science Council Structural Control Panel
  4. Assistance to NSF Regarding Structural Control Initiative
  5. US-Italy-Japan Workshop/Symposium on Structural Control
  6. Organizing Technical Sessions in Tenth World Conference on Earthquake Engineering
  7. US/PRC/Japan Trilateral Workshop on Structural Control
  8. Participation in International Meetings
  9. Information Dissemination
  10. Convening the 1993 International Workshop on Structural Control
  11. Convening the 1994 First World Conference on Structural Control (1WCSC)
  12. Organization of International Association for Structural Control (IASC)

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

The following publications resulted from this award:
  1. Housner, G.W. and Masri, S.F., (Editors), (1990), Proceedings of the U.S. National Workshop on Structural Control Research, 25-26 October 1990, University of Southern California, USC Publication No.M9013, ISBN 0-9628908-0-4.
  2. Housner, G.W. and Masri, S.F., (1991), "Structural Control Research Needs," Presented at the U.S.-Italy-Japan Workshop/Seminar on Intelligent Systems, Perugia, Italy, 27-29 June, 1991, Proc. of U.S.-Italy-Japan Workshop on Intelligent Systems, Elsevier.
  3. Soong, T.T., Masri, S.F., and Housner, G.W., (1991), "An Overview of Active Structural Control Under Seismic Loads," Earthquake Engineering Research Institute Spectra, Vol 7, No 3, pp 483-506.
  4. Housner, G.W., Masri, S.F., and Soong, T.T., (1992), "Recent Developments in Active Structural Control Research in the U S A," Invited Presentation at the First European Conference on Smart Structures & Materials, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK, 12-14 May 1992, Edited by B. Culshaw, P.T. Gardiner, and A. McDonach, Institute of Physics Publishing, Bristol, UK, pp 201-206.
  5. Housner, G.W., Masri, S.F., Casciati, F. and Kameda, H., (Editors),(1992), Proceedings of the U.S.-Italy-Japan Workshop/Symposium on Structural Control and Intelligent Systems,13-15 July 1992, Sorrento, Italy, and 17 July 1992, Genoa, Italy, University of Southern California, USC Publication No.CE9210, ISBN 0-9628908-1-2.
  6. Housner, G. W. and Masri, S.F., (Editors), (1993), Proceedings of the International Workshop on Structural Control, Honolulu, Hawaii, 3-5 August 1993, USC Publication No. CE-9311, ISBN 0-9628908-2-0.
  7. Housner, G.W. and Masri, S.F., (1994), "Performance of the Base-Isolated USC University Hospital Under the 1994 Northridge Earthquake," Technical Engineering Note, Nuclear Engineering and Design, vol 148, pp 509-513.
  8. Housner, G.W., Soong, T.T., and Masri, S.F., (1994), "Second Generation of Active Structural Control in Civil Engineering," Proc of the First World Conference on Structural Control, 3-5 August 1994, Los Angeles, California.
  9. Housner, G.W., Masri, S.F., and Chassiakos, A.G., (Editors), (1994), Proceedings of the First World Conference on Structural Control, Los Angeles, California, 3-5 August 1994, ISBN 0-9628908-3-9.


    10. Department of Civil Engineering
    Phone: (213) 740-0602
    FAX: (213) 744-1426
    email: masri@usc.edu

    Andrew Smyth

    smyth@civil.columbia.edu