Experimental and numerical study of tuned liquid dampers for vibration reduction in building structures

A thorough study on Tuned Liquid Dampers (TLDs) for mitigating horizontal vibrations in building structures is presented in this PhD dissertation. TLDs are dissipative devices that rely on the relative movement of a fluid inside a container with respect to a structure. A lack of comprehensive studies of the possibilities, configurations, materials and limitations for their practical application has been detected and addressed, and potential economic methods for enhancing their efficiency have been studied. A comparative experimental campaign for the two main geometrical variations of TLDs applied to a scaled-down frame has been developed, considering the effect of diverse viscosities and excitation amplitudes. The advantages and limitations of each combination have been expounded. A numerical analysis has been carried out for the corroboration of the precision of the existing formulation compared with a numerically optimised response. A lack of accuracy has been detected in some key regards, such as frequency, effective mass or damping ratio, and a more accurate definition has been obtained. A set of guidelines is presented, consisting of a design-chart with the steps to identify the necessary structural parameters and variables of the two main TLD geometries, based on requirements and baseline conditions. It includes highlights and recommendations throughout the flow. Cards that identify key aspects of TLDs and classify them into categories of practical interest have been created to provide with the fundamental features of the variations presented in this work. These procedures have been applied to a case study through the numerical definition and analysis of a residential building, which illustrates the design process and analysis of TLDs and proves its efficiency in the suppression of horizontal multidirectional accelerations in an already existing structure. Finally, key remarks, contributions and future lines of research for the application of TLDs in building structures are presented.