Building suspensions with inerters

Abstract

This article investigates the performance benefits of building suspension systems that employ a newly developed mechanical element called an inerter. The inerter was proposed as a genuine two-terminal mechanical device to substitute for the mass element, which allows mechanical and electrical networks to become truly analogous. This study applied inerters to building suspension control. First, a one-degree-of-freedom (DOF) building model was examined in order to show the significant performance improvement by inerters, especially with a multi-layer design. Second, the discussion was extended to a two-DOF building model. Finally, a ball-screw inerter was constructed for testing. From the results, the inerters were deemed effective in reducing building vibrations.