Dynamic Response of Structures Equipped With a Flexibly Connected Clutching Inerter Damper

ABSTRACT The dynamic behavior of structures equipped with a clutching inerter damper (CID) flexibly connected to the ground, referred to as CID‐F, is investigated. First, the steady‐state response of a single‐degree‐of‐freedom (SDOF) system with CID‐F under harmonic acceleration is analyzed and compared with that of a conventional CID system. Results show that CID‐F provides a greater reduction in structural response. For a given inertance ratio and mass ratio, an optimal period ratio of the CID‐F can be identified at which the peak harmonic displacement attains its minimum value. Under this optimal condition, the motions of the support mass and main mass are synchronized, allowing the CID‐F to engage effectively and provide maximum damping and response reduction. The system is then subjected to seismic excitation modeled as stationary filtered white noise, and the comparison of root mean square responses of the SDOF system confirms that CID‐F outperforms the conventional CID, again with an optimal period ratio that minimizes the response. Finally, the performance of the CID‐F for an SDOF system is evaluated under four real earthquake excitations. The findings reveal that, although the CID‐F is a tuning‐dependent device, its effectiveness does not deteriorate in comparison to CID when subjected to real seismic motions. However, for seismic applications and from a practical standpoint, the conventional CID system may be preferred over the CID‐F.