Multi-criteria optimization of seismic protective devices utilizing lifecycle performance objectives and application to the design of the Tunes Mass Damper Inerter (TMDI) for buildings in Chile

Abstract

A probabilistic framework for the cost-effective design of supplemental seismic protective devices considering multiple criteria related to their life-cycle performance is reviewed in this contribution. The framework relies on time-history analysis for describing structural behavior, on an assembly-based vulnerability approach for quantifying earthquake losses, and on characterization of the earthquake hazard through stochastic ground motion modeling. Emphasis is placed on application to the design of the tuned mass-damper inerter (TMDI) which if properly tuned can outperform the classical tuned mass damper for the same attached mass due to the presence of the inerter. The latter is a two-terminal device developing a resisting force proportional to the relative acceleration of its terminals by the “inertance” constant. In the herein considered multi-criteria design framework, the life-cycle cost of the TMDI equipped structure is the primary objective composed of the upfront TMDI cost and the anticipated seismic losses over the lifetime of the structure. For enhanced decision support, two additional objectives, namely the repair cost and the inerter force, having specific probability of exceedance over the lifetime of the structure are examined. The repair cost incorporates risk-averse attitudes into the design process, while the inerter force incorporates practical constraints to the transmitted stresses from the TMDI to the host structure. A case study involving an actual 21-storey building constructed in Santiago, Chile shows that optimal TMDI configurations can accomplish simultaneous reduction of life-cycle and repair costs. However, these cost reductions come at the expense of increased inerter forces to be transferred from the TMDI to the host structure. It is further shown that connecting the inerter to lower floors provides considerable benefits across all examined performance criteria as the inerter is engaged in a more efficient way for the same inertance and attached mass ratios.