H ∞ Control for Seismic-Excited Buildings with Acceleration Feedback

Recently developed H∞ control techniques are used to design controllers to suppress the effects of earthquake ground motion on the response of building structures. In particular, controllers are designed to reduce both the interstory drift and the absolute acceleration of selected floors on which sensitive equipment may be installed. Further, the H∞ control techniques are extended to include the capability of using acceleration sensors, since direct measurement of floor accelerations is the most reliable and least expensive measurement to make in earthquake engineering applications. Simulation results for a six-story building are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the control method presented.