Control of Seismically Excited Cable-Stayed Bridge Employing Magnetorheological Fluid Dampers

Abstract

This paper examines the ASCE first generation benchmark problem for a seismically excited cable-stayed bridge, and proposes a new semiactive control strategy focusing on inclusion of effects of control-structure interaction. The subject of the ASCE benchmark problem is a cable-stayed bridge in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, for which construction is expected to be completed in 2003. The goal of the benchmark study is to provide a testbed structure on which researchers can systematically compare and evaluate the relative merits of proposed structural protection for cable stayed-bridges. In this paper, magnetorheological (MR) fluid dampers, which belong to the class of controllable fluid dampers, are proposed for use in a control strategy for protecting the bridge. A clipped-optimal control algorithm, shown to perform well in previous studies involving MR fluid dampers, is employed. A comprehensive study of the adequacy of various types of dynamic models for MR fluid dampers, such as a Bingham model, a Bouc-Wen ...