Application of viscoelastic dampers in a multi-purpose vibration prevention system

A multi-purpose vibration prevention system based on viscoelastic (VE) dampers is proposed in this paper. As commonly known, both theoretical analysis and experimental result have demonstrated the reliable benefit using VE damper to protect the structure from severe damage during earthquake. Meanwhile, accompanying with the development of high-tech industry, the prevention of micro-vibration of buildings caused by long-term operation facilities such as air conditioner or centrifuge has also become more and more important. The hysteretic ability of the multi-purpose vibration prevention system should be effective under small shock comparing to huge excitation. The demand of these dependable energy absorption systems grows rapidly and research on this topic has been widely discussed. The object of this research is a 13-story structure with two air conditioners on its top floor. For the asymmetric location of these systems, the fundamental frequency of the upper floors coincides with the exciting frequency of the cooling system. The complex distribution of the pipeline system and multi-point excitation sources make the problem more difficult. To solve the unacceptable condition, a multi-purpose vibration prevention system based on VE dampers is proposed. The energy absorption devices were designed to protect the structure in both micro-vibration and earthquake strikes. Theoretical simulation of different methods including base-isolation system, rubber bearing systems and VE dampers was analyzed under both earthquake excitation and micro vibration to evaluate the efficiency and feasibility in this case. The result has shown that the VE dampers are the optimal choice among these methods and the vibration due to the steady operation of the air-conditioners as well as the earthquake can be successfully alleviated by the proposed system.