Response of a Structure Isolated by a Coupled System Consisting of a QZS and FPS Under Horizontal Ground Excitation

The study of vibration isolation devices has become an emerging area of research in view of the extensive damage to buildings caused by earthquakes. The ability to effectively isolate seismic vibrations and maintain the stability of a building is thus addressed in this paper, which evaluates the eff...

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Main Authors: Richie Kevin Wouako Wouako, Sandra Céleste Tchato, Euloge Felix Kayo Pokam, Blaise Pascal Gounou Pokam, André Michel Pouth Nkoma, Eliezer Manguelle Dicoum, Philippe Njandjock Nouck
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Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Buildings
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/9/1498
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author Richie Kevin Wouako Wouako
Sandra Céleste Tchato
Euloge Felix Kayo Pokam
Blaise Pascal Gounou Pokam
André Michel Pouth Nkoma
Eliezer Manguelle Dicoum
Philippe Njandjock Nouck
author_facet Richie Kevin Wouako Wouako
Sandra Céleste Tchato
Euloge Felix Kayo Pokam
Blaise Pascal Gounou Pokam
André Michel Pouth Nkoma
Eliezer Manguelle Dicoum
Philippe Njandjock Nouck
author_sort Richie Kevin Wouako Wouako
collection DOAJ
description The study of vibration isolation devices has become an emerging area of research in view of the extensive damage to buildings caused by earthquakes. The ability to effectively isolate seismic vibrations and maintain the stability of a building is thus addressed in this paper, which evaluates the effect of horizontal ground excitation on the response of a structure isolated by a coupled isolation system consisting of a non-linear damper (QZS) and a friction pendulum system (FPS). A single-degree-of-freedom system was used to model structures whose bases are subjected to seismic excitation in order to assess the effectiveness of the QZS–FPS coupling in reducing the structural response. The results obtained revealed significant improvements in structural performance when the QZS–FPS system uses a damper of optimum stiffness. A 30% reduction in displacement was recorded compared with QZS alone for two signals, one harmonic and the other stochastic. The response of the QZS–FPS system with soft stiffness to a harmonic pulse reveals amplitudes reaching around eight times those of the pulse at low frequencies and approaching zero at high frequencies. In comparison, the rigid QZS–FPS coupling has amplitudes 0.9 and 3.5 times higher than those of the harmonic signal. Thus, the resonance amplitudes observed for the QZS–FPS system are lower than those reported in other studies. This analysis highlights the performance differences between the two types of stiffness in the face of harmonic pulses, underlining the importance of the choice of stiffness in vibration management applications. The stochastic results show that on both hard and soft soils, the new QZS–FPS system causes structures to vibrate horizontally with maximum amplitudes of the order of 0.003 m and 0.007 m respectively. So, QZS–FPS coupling can be more effective than all other isolators for horizontal ground excitation. In addition, the study demonstrated that the QZS–FPS combination can offer better control of building vibration in terms of horizontal displacements.
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spelling doaj-art-cc541a8d45c54363a22b7e5a4da297c92025-08-20T03:52:56ZengMDPI AGBuildings2075-53092025-04-01159149810.3390/buildings15091498Response of a Structure Isolated by a Coupled System Consisting of a QZS and FPS Under Horizontal Ground ExcitationRichie Kevin Wouako Wouako0Sandra Céleste Tchato1Euloge Felix Kayo Pokam2Blaise Pascal Gounou Pokam3André Michel Pouth Nkoma4Eliezer Manguelle Dicoum5Philippe Njandjock Nouck6Department of Physics, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé P.O. Box 812, CameroonNational Institute of Cartography, Yaounde P.O. Box 157, CameroonDepartment of Mathematical Economics and Econometrics, Omar Bongo University, Libreville P.O. Box 13113, GabonDépartement de Génie Mécanique, Institut Universitaire de Technologie de L’université de Ngaoundéré, Ngaoundere P.O. Box 454, CameroonNational Institute of Cartography, Yaounde P.O. Box 157, CameroonDepartment of Physics, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé P.O. Box 812, CameroonDepartment of Physics, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé P.O. Box 812, CameroonThe study of vibration isolation devices has become an emerging area of research in view of the extensive damage to buildings caused by earthquakes. The ability to effectively isolate seismic vibrations and maintain the stability of a building is thus addressed in this paper, which evaluates the effect of horizontal ground excitation on the response of a structure isolated by a coupled isolation system consisting of a non-linear damper (QZS) and a friction pendulum system (FPS). A single-degree-of-freedom system was used to model structures whose bases are subjected to seismic excitation in order to assess the effectiveness of the QZS–FPS coupling in reducing the structural response. The results obtained revealed significant improvements in structural performance when the QZS–FPS system uses a damper of optimum stiffness. A 30% reduction in displacement was recorded compared with QZS alone for two signals, one harmonic and the other stochastic. The response of the QZS–FPS system with soft stiffness to a harmonic pulse reveals amplitudes reaching around eight times those of the pulse at low frequencies and approaching zero at high frequencies. In comparison, the rigid QZS–FPS coupling has amplitudes 0.9 and 3.5 times higher than those of the harmonic signal. Thus, the resonance amplitudes observed for the QZS–FPS system are lower than those reported in other studies. This analysis highlights the performance differences between the two types of stiffness in the face of harmonic pulses, underlining the importance of the choice of stiffness in vibration management applications. The stochastic results show that on both hard and soft soils, the new QZS–FPS system causes structures to vibrate horizontally with maximum amplitudes of the order of 0.003 m and 0.007 m respectively. So, QZS–FPS coupling can be more effective than all other isolators for horizontal ground excitation. In addition, the study demonstrated that the QZS–FPS combination can offer better control of building vibration in terms of horizontal displacements.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/9/1498building structuremechanical systemnon-linear isolationamplitudedamperseismic control
spellingShingle Richie Kevin Wouako Wouako
Sandra Céleste Tchato
Euloge Felix Kayo Pokam
Blaise Pascal Gounou Pokam
André Michel Pouth Nkoma
Eliezer Manguelle Dicoum
Philippe Njandjock Nouck
Response of a Structure Isolated by a Coupled System Consisting of a QZS and FPS Under Horizontal Ground Excitation
Buildings
building structure
mechanical system
non-linear isolation
amplitude
damper
seismic control
title Response of a Structure Isolated by a Coupled System Consisting of a QZS and FPS Under Horizontal Ground Excitation
title_full Response of a Structure Isolated by a Coupled System Consisting of a QZS and FPS Under Horizontal Ground Excitation
title_fullStr Response of a Structure Isolated by a Coupled System Consisting of a QZS and FPS Under Horizontal Ground Excitation
title_full_unstemmed Response of a Structure Isolated by a Coupled System Consisting of a QZS and FPS Under Horizontal Ground Excitation
title_short Response of a Structure Isolated by a Coupled System Consisting of a QZS and FPS Under Horizontal Ground Excitation
title_sort response of a structure isolated by a coupled system consisting of a qzs and fps under horizontal ground excitation
topic building structure
mechanical system
non-linear isolation
amplitude
damper
seismic control
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/15/9/1498
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