Advanced Investigation into Active Control Force Requirements for Seismic Damage Mitigation of Inelastic Structures

This study investigates the effectiveness of active structural control in mitigating seismic damage of inelastic structures. A fuzzy control algorithm is integrated into a custom-developed finite element routine to examine the relationship between maximum control force requirements and the resulting structural damage state. Consequently, a series of nonlinear dynamic simulations was conducted on 3D inelastic numerical models representing five building typologies—three residential, one office, and one school using seismic inputs from two historical earthquakes. Structural damage was quantified using the Park–Ang damage index. Key findings show that active control can reduce structural damage of inelastic structures, but its effectiveness depends on seismic input and the complexity structural layout. Lower forces are adequate for low-rise or simple buildings, while taller or complex structures require substantially higher forces, which may be challenging to apply in real applications. Moreover, the results emphasize how local seismic conditions and variations in building dynamic characteristics impact the demands in control forces.