Optimal TMDs for improving the seismic performance of historical buildings

In this paper, optimal design and assessment of the capability of Tuned Mass Dampers (TMDs) in improving the seismic behavior of conned masonry walls, as the main element of historical buildings, has been studied. For this purpose, the design parameters of TMDs have been determined through minimization of wall response using Genetic Algorithms (GAs). To simulate the behavior of conned masonry wall under earthquake, the triple linear shear beam model has been used. For illustration, the method has been tested on conned masonry walls equipped with linear TMDs. To study the eects of frequency content and Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) of earthquake records on the performance of TMDs, the controlled walls have been subjected to dierent earthquake records. Results show that the proposed method has been eective in designing optimal TMDs regarding the convergence and simplicity of GA in solving the optimization problem. It has also been shown that using TMD enhances the seismic behavior of conned masonry walls, which its eciency depends on the earthquake characteristics and the mass ratio. Finally, it can be concluded that the results of this research could be used as guides to design TMDs for historical and heritage buildings.