Seismic Pounding Control of Adjacent Buildings Using MR Dampers: A Semi-Active Control Strategy

Authors

  • Mahdieh Zayyen Karin * Department of Civil Engineering, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Rasht, Iran.
  • Hamid Reza Rabieifar Department of Civil Engineering, South Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

https://doi.org/10.48314/jcase.v3i2.79

Abstract

Pounding between adjacent buildings due to out-of-phase vibrations during earthquakes causes severe structural damage. This paper investigates the effectiveness of Magneto-Rheological (MR) dampers as semi-active control devices to mitigate seismic response and pounding risk between adjacent 10-story and 20-story buildings. The connected buildings are modeled as linear shear frames with identical floor levels. A Bouc-Wen-based modified model simulates the MR damper behavior, and an Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) controller computes the desired control force. An inverse MR damper model determines the command voltage. The system is subjected to near-fault (Kobe 1995) and far-fault (El Centro 1940) ground motions. Results show that MR dampers significantly reduce story displacements, drifts, and required separation distance (by ~22 cm for Kobe). Placing dampers only at the top two shared floors achieves 80% cost reduction with negligible performance loss compared to full installation. The study provides practical guidelines for economical pounding mitigation.

Keywords:

Pounding control, Magneto-rheological damper, Semi-active control, Adjacent buildings, Seismic response.

References

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Published

2026-04-18

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 2 (2026): Journal of Civil Aspects and Structural Engineering

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Zayyen Karin, M., & Rabieifar, H. R. (2026). Seismic Pounding Control of Adjacent Buildings Using MR Dampers: A Semi-Active Control Strategy. Journal of Civil Aspects and Structural Engineering, 3(2), 76-89. https://doi.org/10.48314/jcase.v3i2.79

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