A resetting stiffness dynamic controller and its bench-scale implementation

Recent studies have demonstrated the ability of semi-active hydraulic stiffness dampers to improve the performance of structures subjected to dynamic loads. Prominent among semi-active controllers are those of resetting stiffness. A modified resetting stiffness algorithm was developed and tested in this study. The algorithm was developed to address the physical limitations of the resetting stiffness hardware and to acknowledge the fact that energy dissipation during the resetting action cannot occur instantaneously. One- and two-degree-of-freedom models were built and subjected to base excitations with significant harmonic components close to the model resonance frequencies. Significant improvements in floor movement were recorded when the structures were controlled by the modified resetting stiffness algorithm.